One Soul
by quickand2thepointless
Summary: COMPLETE. One soul, thousands of dimensions, endless ways for one person to grow into their destiny. When the wanderers of space-time encounter themselves and their soul mates in different dimensions, they have the chance to learn about their relationships from the people they know and love best. KuroFai, Seishirou/Subaru, and Kamui/Fuuma. M rated situations and language.
1. Kurogane

**A/N: **I am finally about to achieve my long-held ambition of writing a Tsubasa universe multi-chap fic! *Victory fist pump* It always bothered me in Tsubasa that Fai and Kurogane never ran into alternate universe version of themselves as they traversed space-time (it didn't even happen in the filler-filled anime), so I'm writing my own version where the dimension hopping couples Kurogane and Fai, Subaru and Seishirou, and Fuuma and Kamui each have a chance to encounter versions of themselves or their soul mates in other worlds and reach more depth (and find more humor) in their relationships because of them. For this first section from Kurogane's perspective, I was drawn to the Fai-sensei/Kurogane-sensei AU versions from Horitsuba Gakuen, and borrowed their characters to place alongside the original Nihon ninja we know and love. Hope you enjoy!

**Rating: **M for language, sexual situations, and eventual sex. Fuuma and Seishirou's personalities alone deserve an M warning.

**Spoilers/Timeline: **This chapter spoils the character of Yui, along with several small, non essential incidents of Tsubasa, Horitsuba, and to an extent RG Veda.

**Disclaimer: **The awesome multiverse belongs to CLAMP... ho-hum

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**Kurogane**

The world Mokona had dropped them off into this time was grating on Kurogane's nerves. He liked old fashioned kinds of places where the technology was simple and easy to wrap his head around, and the clothes were modest to the point where the mage and princess weren't prancing around with their midriffs exposed. But the moment they landed in this place in the middle of what seemed to be an advanced sort of market center, a group of teen girls wearing short plaid skirts and daringly low cut blouses swarmed their group to compliment their 'cosplaying,' whatever that was. Fai's fluffy winter coat seemed to be a huge hit, and some of the bolder girls had wrapped their arms around his waist to snuggle their faces into the warm fabric, while Fai had smiled down at them with his stupid little fake grin.

Kurogane didn't understand why, but he had wanted to punch something. Badly.

As usual, practicality had won out. They'd shaken off the crowds to go hunt around for a place for Sakura to exercise her gambling talents and earn them some quick money for lodging and clothes. This world had plenty of gaming dens with strange machines decorated with cherries and black and red wheels where people placed bets on which color a ball would land on when the spinning stopped. Kurogane couldn't quite grasp the rules of half the games, but the princess ended up doing well, as always. So well that the owner of the building asked them to cash in their winnings and leave before he called the authorities on them.

"So the money is paper again," Syaoran noted, looking at the bills with interest. "I'm not familiar with this language, but I've seen this number system before. It's one of the more straightforward ones, luckily."

After a few minutes, he had divided their funds up and given a brief lecture on how to identify each of the numbers and how their value was determined, which Kurogane had mostly ignored. The kid, princess, and mage took care of the majority of shopping, and on the rare occasion where Kurogane had to lend a hand, the meat bun could be convinced to use one of its secret abilities to determine how many bills or coins to hand over to the shopkeeper in each place they visited.

"Sakura-chan and I will find us some clothes at the market where we landed," the mage chirped, pulling off his winter gear to look less conspicuous. "Any requests Syaoran-kun? Kuro-wanwan?"

"How about something that covers you guys fully for once?" Kurogane grumbled. For someone who'd worn a handful of thick layers in his homeworld, Fai seemed to have an aversion to substantial clothing everywhere else, and too often had both men and women trailing after him, admiring the beautiful white skin of his stomach that he left openly exposed.

Fai smiled as if he knew exactly what Kurogane was thinking."Ah, Kuro-tan doesn't like sexy clothes? Maybe you could come along and pick out what you would like to see me in instead."

"Forget it."

While Fai and Sakura hunted down a clothing shop and Syaoran made inquiries about lodging, Kurogane wandered around from store to store, trying to get a feel for what kind of goods this world dealt in. There seemed to be pieces of technology available, though not as many as what Piffle had offered, and there were shelves filled with books in the country's unfamiliar native language. He found a few stacks of manga similar to the serial he'd been reading, and though he couldn't guess at the dialogue, he at least enjoyed the pictures as a momentary diversion. The heroine looked a bit like a younger version of the princess, and two of the minor characters uncannily resembled the king and high priest of Syaoran's world who kept showing up in the different dimensions they wandered, except that the fictionalized versions seemed to have more sparkles and flowers haloing their bodies.

"I want THIS calendar," a familiar voice came from a few shelves away from where Kurogane was reading. "This model looks just like Kuro-tan-sensei, doesn't he?"

At the sound of his name being used by Fai's voice, Kurogane snaps his book shut and grits his teeth. What the heck was the mage doing following him into the bookstore? If they didn't get new clothes soon, people were bound to start ambushing them for dressing up again, and they were going to be at the receiving end of even more unwanted attention. And why on earth was he calling him _sensei_? Kurogane hadn't instructed him in anything other than being quiet and shutting up.

"Put that away, Fai," came a more subdue version of Fai's voice. "What if Yuuko-sensei or one of the students saw you with that?"

Kurogane shifted his eyes to where the two voices originated, a display filled with a collection of calendars for the new year, most having some sort of natural theme, though quite a few were fronted by women wearing what looked like skimpy undergarments. Fai was leaning against the display, wearing a long white coat over a black turtleneck and holding up a calendar open to an image of a half naked man kicking a black and white ball into the air. Beside him stood another Fai, this one wearing a different kind of white coat and with slightly longer hair that needed to be tied back away from his face.

Kurogane's mouth fell open, and he took a step back into one of the stacks of manga. The books fell noisily to the ground, and the two Fais looked up in surprise to see who was causing the ruckus.

The Fai in the black turtleneck's eyes lit up as he met Kurogane's stunned gaze."Kuro-tan-sensei!" he called out, giving a cheery wave. "You didn't say you were going shopping after work, too! And wherever did you get that outfit?" He bounded up to the stammering ninja, and began pulling off his cloak to expose the clothes beneath. "If you wanted to cosplay, you should have asked me first! You know I've been wanting to try out maid-and-master with you. Or since you've already bought a samurai type outfit, I could dress as your forbidden lover!"

"There. Are. Two. Of. You," was all Kurogane could say as the additional Fai leisurely joined them, looking a bit chagrined at the other Fai's antics. Even when Kurogane rubbed his eyes, there were still two, and though they both looked similar to his Fai, there was something not right about them, something akin to the separation between the Tomoyo-hime he'd met in Piffle to the one he'd served in Nihon.

"Kurorin, have you been drinking?" Fai scolded. "It's Yui! You know, my brother?"

"I think I need to sit down," Kurogane said, backing into one of the armchairs nearby the bookshelf. The witch had warned him that this was a possibility, but it had never actually happened until now. He'd seen plenty of variations of the people they'd met in other worlds, put never copies of himself or Fai, or even the kid or the princess, other than the look-alike who had appeared in the manga. To see an alternate Fai— and even more disturbingly, an alternate Fai who came along with a _twin_— was a bit alarming, even without factoring in that this Fai seemed to know an alternate version of himself as well.

"Now that I get a closer look at him," Fai said as Kurogane attempted to sort out his thoughts, "doesn't this guy look a bit different than Kuro-tan-sensei? He doesn't even have the burn I gave him during that accidental explosion in the chemistry lab."

"If Kurogane-sensei had a twin, I'm sure he would have mentioned it when I first came to Horitsuba," the Fai named Yui said.

"But he looks almost exactly like him. Maybe he's someone who looks up to Kuro-tan-sensei as an idol and got surgery to copy off of his style?" Fai frowned down at Kurogane in disapproval. "I understand your obsession, but it won't work. Kuro-sensei belongs to me, and I'm not going to fall for you just because you look like him."

Something in Kurogane's heart stirred at Fai's words. The witch had said something along the lines of people in different dimensions growing under different circumstances, but still possessing the same souls. If that was the case, did the fact that this particular Fai had feelings for another him mean that the Fai he knew also cherished similar sentiments? That had seemed to be the case for Sorata and Arashi and Touya and Yukito, although the Fai he was saddled with wasn't as straightforward as they were. Emotional relationships were something he avoided, aside from his fatherly feelings for the kid and princess. Kurogane got the sense that Fai did not wish him to venture too close or ask too many questions, and he somewhat doubted that love could exist in a heart that had closed itself off to connection.

"Do you know about the other dimensions?" Kurogane asked out of the blue as Fai and Yui continued to study him with narrowed blue eyes. He knew it was a stab in the dark, but there was no way he would admit to being a 'Kurogane idol' or get out of the conversation with the feeble excuse of his supposed burn healing miraculously in the past few hours. Fai liked to pretend to be stupid, but he was obviously much more intelligent than he let on, and his twin, this Yui character, didn't even look like the type to bother masking his smarts.

"The dimensions?" Fai said, his brightness returning. "Of course I know! Yuuko-sensei talks about them all the time. She says that in another world, she keeps Watanuki-kun as a slave and has met alternate versions of nearly everyone at Horitsuba, including me and Kurorin. She says the Kuroin her other self met hates her even more than the one in this world does." Fai's eyes widen. "Nee, Yui, do you think that this might be the Kuro-tan that Yuuko-sensei was talking about?"

"I don't see why not."

"Do you know a Yuuko-san, Kuro-sama? Did she give you the power to travel between worlds?"

Kurogane sighed, wondering if it was safe to confess this sort of information to someone who was most likely an average civilian, but finally nodded when Fai gave him the pleading look he had always been weak to. If the Yuuko in this world had already admitted to knowing about her other self, the secret was most likely already fairly well known by the people in the Horitsuba place Fai was rattling on about. They apparently had little concern about the existence of dimension travelers, and weren't disturbed by the use of magic.

"Then you know the other me!" Fai cried, clapping his hands together. "Yuuko-sensei said you and me went off on a journey with one of the Syaoran-kuns, Sakura-chan, and white Moko-chan. Is Fai-sama here at the moment?"

"He's with the girl right now, finding us clothes to wear in this world."

"Oh. So you aren't cosplaying? These are your real clothes? Other me is so lucky. I'll have to get Kuro-tan-sensei to wear these fun outfits, too."

"If he has any sense, I doubt he'll do it."

"Hmph," Fai said, pouting. "You are really just like him. He never lets me have any fun at all." He turned to Yui. "Should we go look for Fai-sama, brother? He and I can exchange love advice about our relationship with Kuro-sama!"

"That might not be such a good idea," Kurogane interrupted him, folding his arms across his chest. "For one, I'm pretty sure that mage doesn't have a brother, and he might be confused by seeing you with someone who looks exactly like him. And there is no 'relationship' in the first place."

Fai looked crestfallen at this news. "You mean you and I aren't lovers, _at all? _There is a Kuro-tan in this universe who doesn't care about me?"

"Didn't say that," Kurogane grumbled. "Look, the you I know isn't exactly like the person you are. There's a good chance that there's something in his past he's still suffering from, and it makes it hard for him to want to invest his heart in people. Is there someone in this world named Ashura?"

"Two of them. One is my sempai in the science department, and the other is his son... or daughter. I can't quite tell, to be honest. He or she is a popular student at Horitsuba, and is dating the captain of the fencing team, Yasha." Fai tilted his head. "Why do you ask?"

"Have you had any issues with them?"

"Not in particular. Ashura-sempai has this weird habit of foretelling when bad things are going to happen and then going through odd lengths to prevent them, but it hasn't really effected me yet."

"Hmm. Well, there's a chance that it may have effected the mage. And he's the sort of person who prefers to shoulder his own burdens rather than trust in the people who want to shoulder them with him."

"That may be because he doesn't have a Yui at his side to look after him." Fai patted his twin on the arm, looking solemn. "Kuro-sama, I don't know if I can speak for the other me, but I know myself and my feelings for Kuro-tan-sensei well enough to say that if you continue to stay by his side and trust in him with your heart, he will eventually be able to find a way to the happiness he lost. But if you don't remain a part of his life, I doubt he will ever be able to feel the fullness in his heart that comes with being one with his most important person. Kuro-sama is the only man for me, and I'm sure it's that way for him, too. So please continue to get along with him, all right?"

Kurogane looked in Fai's eyes, the corners of his lips twitching just slightly into a smile. "In the place where I was born, I made a vow to use my strength to protect that which I love. I've never sworn anything I didn't intend to see through to the end, even if the person I wish to protect does not wish to protect himself."

Fai nodded, looking somewhat touched. Yui leaned over and whispered, "See, you're still being loved properly, even in the other worlds."

"But still," Fai sighed, tapping his foot, "I'm a bit troubled about all of this. The other me must be about ready to die of frustration. Traveling around the world with sexy-ninja Kuro-tan, but not being able to have him as a lover? Maybe we should go looking for him, Yui. I can share all the tips I've uncovered about the best way to get Kuro-sensei into bed."

"HUH?" Kurogane said, choking a bit at this pronouncement.

"When Yuuko-sensei told me about the two of us going on a journey in another world, it was _months _ago. And now you're telling me that we haven't even had sex yet? Even if something is troubling me, I don't understand how I could possibly resist the temptation. The Kuro-tan in this world and I started sleeping together only a month after we got our jobs." Fai grinned wickedly. "We were in the staff bathroom, and I pretended that my shower was broken and went into his. Things just sort of happened. You and I both look awfully good naked, you know."

Kurogane's face flushed, even though he tried to ignore the tightening in his lower body. He'd seen Fai naked before— an inevitability, after all their time spent journeying together— but he hadn't had the chance to see him in the showers in worlds like Piffle, hot water running in trickles down his body, a pink tinge rising to his skin at the heat...

"Stop teasing him, Fai," Yui whispered. "I think his nose is starting to bleed."

"No, no it isn't," Kurogane said quickly, covering his mouth. "Uh, well, I should probably go back. They're most likely done shopping for clothes now by now. By the way, what's up with you and belly shirts?"

"Belly shirts?" Yui said with a soft laugh. "Here, that's the least of his concerns. Your Fai doesn't... er... cross dress at all?"

"Cross... dress?" Kurogane repeated. An image of Fai wearing a waitress outfit like Sakura's in Outo suddenly popped into his head without warning.

"Kuro-tan-sensei still won't let me wear a maid dress," Fai sighed tragically. "He says he doesn't want me to do weird things in front of the students."

"Ah, yes. Please don't." _Don't let anyone else see you like that, you idiot, _he wanted to scream. This man wasn't _his _Fai, but he was fairly certain their bodies were pretty much the same.

"No fun at all."

As Kurogane at last rose out of the armchair, Fai gave a friendly wave, as did Yui, though the twin's was not so wide as his brother's. "Take good care of me, Kuro-sama," Fai said with a laugh. "And by the way, if things ever start heating up, there's a place right here—" he pointed to a spot on his neck "— that feels really good when you suck on it."

Kurogane kept his hand over his nose to catch the slight trickle of blood. "Uh, yeah. Goodbye."

When he left the bookstore, he crept behind one of the building's pillars to keep an eye on the entrance. Fai and Yui left just shortly after he did, Fai carrying the calendar Yui had tried to get him not to buy, and the two paused to sit on a bench so Fai could pull out a strange device from his pocket and speak into it for a few minutes.

_A different world, but the same souls, _Kurogane mused to himself. _The same things that bind us together in this world exist in us at this very moment._

After a few minutes, the twins rose to their feet. A man was approaching them from the market entrance, clad in a strange black outfit that looked somewhat like the training gear he'd seen in Hanshin. Kurogane knew without giving the man more than a cursory glance who it was. He was familiar enough with himself and his own habits that it would have been impossible for him to confuse his figure with anyone else's.

While Yui held back, Fai bounded towards the man and threw his arms tightly around him. The man resisted, pushing him away and yelling about doing weird things in public, but it wasn't long before his arm had crept back around Fai's waist, reaching just slightly up into the fabric of his shirt to rest his hand against the skin of his stomach.

_Well, _Kurogane thought to himself with a snort. _There's a reason for those stupid belly shirts, after all._

He turned his back on the happy couple and looked into the bustling common area. Syaoran was milling about like a lost puppy looking for him, and Fai and Sakura were descending the stairs, armed with shopping bags and dressed in their new outfits. Kurogane wondered how Fai would feel if he mimicked the behavior of his other self and put his hands on the skin he had once again decided to leave open to observation in this world.

"Kurooo-tan," Fai trilled after he and the princess had intercepted the kid. "I found a nice black outfit for you, and Syaoran-kun has information on 'hotels' for us to go as a base while we look for the feather. Did you miss me?"

"No," Kurogane said, honestly. "It feels like I didn't get a break from you at all."

"Daddy's so mean!" Fai's lips jutted out into a pout, but Kurogane was looking into his eyes, mourning the absence of the happiness that his counterpart wore so effortlessly.

_Can I really be the one to return your happiness to you? Will the soul in me here really be able to touch the soul of the you your world made you to be?_

He sighed and followed his group to the address Syaoran had found for lodging. A happy ending didn't come from nowhere. You started at Point A and made your way to Point B, but it was the journey that was uncertain even when the destination wasn't. He could take the wrong path, or Fai could block his entrance at any point; nothing was guaranteed. Even if his soul had managed to find its mate in one world, this particular body might fail to live up to the potential housed within him and lead him even further away from the point he wanted to reach. He couldn't be sure. He could only wish and hope and live with the intention of protecting that which his heart held dear, and believing the best would come of his efforts.

_...if you continue to stay by his side and trust in him with your heart, he will eventually be able to find a way to the happiness he lost, _Fai had said. Even the result of that could not be known, but it was promise enough to put his faith in. There was a world he still had yet to explore with Fai, a world where he could feel his mouth on that precious pearly skin and be able to hold him close even through his pride and harsh words towards the idiotic mage. _And if it's a place I can go_, he reminded himself, _I can just go without waiting around for someone to take me there. And drag him along with me, if that's what needs to happen._

Kurogane glanced over his shoulder, at the two figures laced together, at the proof that Point B was a reachable place. He sighed and clenched his fists against his side, feeling a new wave of determination sweep over him. This conclusion was someplace he could go, and no matter how twisted the path he took to get there turned out, he was going to head down it without fail, to find his happiness and to be the source of his Fai's.

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**Next Up: **Subaru


	2. Subaru

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who supported the first chapter, and I am excited to be continuing! This chapter will hit a more serious note since it's Subaru, the king of not being able to cut a break to save his life. But perhaps there will be happiness to find, even for him... or at least his own brand of happiness.

**Spoilers/Timeline: **Not too many spoilers in this one. Timeline is before Tokyo.

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**Subaru**

Subaru had never been the one out of the two of them who had wanted to run away from Seishirou. He understood Kamui's numerous reasons outlining why running was a good idea, a wish well worth sacrificing the scant stability of their lives for, but he'd gone along with the cat-and-mouse chase through the dimensions more out of loyalty to his brother than any particular desire he felt to escape his hunter's clutches. He had only been caught by Seishirou once before, the first time he'd held the man in his arms and allowed his blood to spill down his throat, and he'd always felt it to be a moment he'd be happy to be frozen in. There was something about that dying man's coldness, the piercing look of his yellow eyes when they'd opened to him for the first time, the ice in his smile when he gazed at Subaru's face and pronounced that he'd at last found the treasure he most wanted to possess, that spoke to Subaru and made him want to surrender to the other man's demands without question. Maybe there was happiness to be found in belonging to a person whose eyes looked at him so intensely, filled with hunger, filled with want.

But even though they were twins, Kamui didn't share the same perspective on the matter as Subaru. The minute he'd found out what Subaru had done and witnessed the way Seishirou's arms wound around Subaru's stomach and his mouth pressed against the vampire's white neck, drinking with an almost sensual excitement, his explosive temper had ignited, and he'd almost half-killed the hunter before snatching Subaru away and carrying him to safety. "What were you thinking, giving your blood to _that _kind of person?" he'd yelled, but Subaru hadn't heard him at all, dwelling instead on the words Seishirou had whispered in his ears before they'd been separated. _Wherever you go, my beautiful one, I will follow you until you are trapped in my arms again, and then you will know what it really means to be mine._

He knew he shouldn't want the kind of world the man promised, but the more he dreamed of it, the better it sounded. He had lived a long time at his brother's side, hundreds upon hundreds of mortal lifetimes, and there had been little meaning to the time he spent other than staying alive and trying to make good with the powers he'd been given. He'd evaded hunters time and time again with the help of Kamui, but he never understood for what reason he had to hang on to his life, or what virtue made his existence more worthy of saving over the men who chased them and ended up dead for it.

But when he'd held Seishirou in his arms and felt the fall of his own blood into the body of another, living for the first time began to make sense. _I am alive because you're alive, _he realized, a feeling of peace diffusing through his body. _I'm here because you want me, because my wish is to give you life through mine._

None of this had kept Kamui from consulting the Dimension Witch about the possibility of expanding their escape routes. "That was no ordinary hunter, Subaru," he'd insisted. "That's the kind of person who would kill you without a second thought. Didn't you see his eyes? He would have devoured you whole if I hadn't stopped him. For as long as I live, I'm not going to let you be his game ever again. He can go off and get himself killed again for all I care."

"But I feel like it may have been okay," Subaru tried to explain, thinking of the best way to put the feelings of his heart into words. "If the person is him, it's fine for him to do what he likes with me."

Kamui's eyes narrowed, a sure sign that his temper was seconds away from being unleashed. "Don't say something sick like that. The way that hunter looked at you wasn't normal. You're not some _thing _he can just put his perverted hands on whenever he likes. You're my brother. No one is going to hurt you while I'm still here to protect you, all right?"

"But if I wanted him to—"

"Subaru," Kamui interrupted, clenching his teeth. "You don't even understand the consequences of what you want right now. That man is trying to poison your mind, and you're letting him get away with it. It's not going to happen. You and I are leaving, no matter what."

So Subaru had gone along to the Dimension Witch just as Kamui had asked, and had quietly allowed the wish to be made on his behalf. Yuuko hadn't asked Subaru to pay a price, telling Kamui, "This is your wish, and the opposite of what your brother desires, so if what you want is for him to go along with you, you must pay his expense along with your own."

Subaru had almost prayed that Kamui wouldn't be able to materialize two items worthy of Yuuko, but the two of them had plenty of magical artifacts on their person from their travels over the years, and those that were most important to Kamui had been just enough to satisfy Yuuko.

But before she had sent them on their way, she'd taken Subaru's hands in her own and gazed down fixedly at his face. "I have seen your eyes before, on a child who is also you," she said, her sultry voice low and distant. "They are always filled with such a sadness, but for you the future has yet to be determined, and the dreams you will follow to progress what is to come are only just beginning. In honor of that child, it would be wise not to throw away the thing that he can never have because you fear what choosing it signifies. For some of us, the chance for happiness only comes once."

She gently released his hands, and Kamui took them from her to hold onto him as they headed together into the first of the distant countries. Subaru closed his eyes as they traveled through space, the endless worlds blurring into one as they sailed past them. _What if I can't go back, or he never finds me again, _he fretted, though neither of these question expressed the real concern in his heart. _What if my... what if my wish is something disgusting, and this poison Kamui says is filling my mind means I'm becoming the kind of person who cannot be forgiven?_

But he could still feel the ghost of Seishirou's mouth against his neck, the hands that had held him tightly in his proper place. It was not his life or his purity he'd had stolen from him; in fact, Seishirou had taken nothing from him that he himself had not willingly given. It was the pulse under his skin that had been altered, the beating of his very heart. There was a reason behind it now, and as sick as that reason was, it was the first thing he'd felt in all of his life that made him understand the powerful beauty of being alive.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Time had passed, and they had gone to many worlds before arriving in this one. Kamui was the one who determined when they would come and go, and Subaru's duty was to stay in hiding and attract as little attention as possible. If people started to grow familiar with them, that was their signal that it was time to go. Speaking to anyone who Seishirou could question was considered a risk, and Kamui believed him capable of going through any lengths to learn of Subaru's whereabouts. That he had already conferred with the Dimension Witch and was keeping up with their trail was assumed by the both of them, so it was best for them to be on their guard.

This world they had ended up in was a quiet one. The neighborhood where they'd taken shelter had yet to be developed properly, and there were only a few scattered houses here and there, and one five bedroom inn run by an older woman named Rosa. She didn't ask too many questions, and never seemed bothered by the odd appearances of her guests, or Kamui's tendency of keeping Subaru indoors whenever possible.

But even Kamui had to agree that the place where they were living had a comfortable air to it. He seemed to be in a better mood in this world, and was more flexible to Subaru's requests to explore and be allowed to take short walks around the area. Of course, Seishirou was just as likely to show up here as he was anywhere else, but for some reason, the threat seemed less pressing to Kamui in this peaceful place, and Subaru wasn't about to encourage him to go back on his guard.

After eating breakfast with Kamui in their bedroom, Subaru told his brother he was going out for a few minutes to look at the run down park at the end of the neighborhood. He'd always been more sensitive to spirits than his twin, and something about that place was beginning to bother him. Sometimes when he was trying to sleep, he could hear the voice of a young woman calling out someone's name over and over again throughout the night, her tone lost and confused like a child who had lost sight of its parents.

"I'll keep an eye on you from here," Kamui said, setting up by the window that overlooked the street. "Be careful, okay?"

Subaru trekked quietly to the park, but stopped in his tracks when he saw that a young boy wearing a school uniform was already perched on the swings, staring blankly into an empty space across the street from him. Subaru ducked behind a nearby tree so as not to be seen by the child, peeking out just slightly to get a better look. The boy looked to be about twelve years old, with thick black hair and vibrant green eyes framed by long lashes. Subaru felt his legs begin to tremble. It was like staring at a photograph of how he had looked years and years into the past, when he was still a child. There was no question that this was him, but the fact that he was gazing into his own face from the outside looking in filled him with a feeling of terror. _That child, right there, is filled inside with the same soul that fills me. The same things troubling my heart may very well one day exist in him, and carry on in an endless cycle of which this soul will never be free._

The child continued to stare straight into the vacant space, and suddenly the voice Subaru had herd the night before came from that exact point the child was studying.

"He said he would come," the girl's voice wept, and even though her body was invisible to him, Subaru had a feeling that the child could see her all too clearly. "He promised he would follow after me. Why didn't he come?"

"That is why you are restless?" the child asked, extending his hands to the figure only he could see. "Is there someone you are still waiting for?"

"We wanted to die together," the voice cried, drawing closer to the child. "He put the blade in my heart himself, just like I asked him to do. It was what I wished for, what I always wanted. I thought it could only be a happy thing, to be killed by the person who loved me the most, and be sent into a better world by the hands I treasured. But he was supposed to follow me, just like he promised. He told me we were going to be together forever. Why didn't he come?"

The child was trembling, his eyes prickling with tears; he seemed to be a sensitive soul, just the way Subaru had been as a child. "Maybe he couldn't because he wanted you to be the one to do it, just like you wanted him. But you were already gone, and he was left all alone. Maybe that person became afraid because you were no longer with him to give him strength, and his purpose was lost."

"Then he should have come with me, like he promised! How could someone who said he loved me leave me all alone when all I wanted was to stay by his side?" The voice let out a scream of anguish, and the boy collapsed on the swing, hugging his arms tightly around himself. Subaru wondered if the woman was hurting him.

"I want to help..." the boy sniffled, although he looked unable to move. "Maybe I could find that person, and—"

"What meaning does that have? He should find his way to me on his own, or else there is no point. Love is what killed me, and if he was able to survive it, then what exactly was that love? Tell me, boy, what do you know about any of it?"

The air where the woman's voice originated wailed and went still. The boy, still trembling, rested his head within his hands and cried out his pure feelings of sympathy for the woman who would not let herself find peace.

_Maybe I should speak to him, _Subaru thought, keenly feeling the pain of the child reflected in his own heart. _But what can I say that would be of use? I too know nothing about overcoming such a sickness, or forgetting whatever ruins of love I wish to wallow in._

Before he could make up his mind, he saw another boy in the same uniform as the child's approaching the park. This child was slightly older, his body more filled out and sturdy, and his air more confident and sure. His wire rimmed glasses reflected the sun, but when he moved closer into the shade, Subaru could see that his eyes were golden brown, a warm color that managed to pierce from him coldly. Eyes he had only seen once before, but seemed more familiar to him than even his own.

This time, when his legs lost their stability beneath him, Subaru willingly sunk to his knees on the ground.

The boy sat down on the swing beside the child. "Subaru-kun?" he said, his voice relaxed and contented, even flirting with a note of laughter in it. "Did something happen?"

The child looked up momentarily, exposing his wet green eyes and trembling lips, but quickly turned his face away in embarrassment. "Seishirou-sempai," he murmured, trying to brush away his tears before any more could fall.

"You're crying," Seishirou noted gleefully. "How cute. Did someone bully you?"

"No... I'm fine."

"Did you hurt yourself?" He lifted one of the child's slim arms, as if looking for cuts. "Did you fight with your sister again?"

"Seishirou-sempai..." The child's skin was turning pink, and he squirmed a little as Seishirou continued to touch him. The crying had stopped, and the hurt in the child's eyes was replaced by a flustered confusion, as if he was less certain of what to make of the boy beside him than he was of the despondent spirit that had upset him.

"Are you nervous, Subaru-kun? Do you feel like crying again?" Seishirou ran his finger across the wet tracks that still remained on the child's cheek. "Will you show me?"

"Why...?"

"Why? Because Subaru-kun's crying face is the cutest!" Seishirou smiled widely, displaying a perfect row of white teeth. "Now that I've seen it, I want it to be mine, okay?"

"S-Seishirou-sempai...?"

"But it offends me that someone else was the one to cause that face. They probably even had a good long look at it before I came here. It's unacceptable. I should be the only one to bully Subaru-kun." He leaned his lips close to the child's ear. "Can I be the one who makes Subaru-kun cry from now on?"

The child's lips began to tremble again, but there was nothing like unhappiness present in his eyes. "Would that make Seishirou-sempai happy?" he asked, at last looking up into his companion's face.

"Of course. Subaru-kun was made to be mine, after all."

The child's face collapsed in relief, and fresh tears began to fall from his eyes and slide slowly down his smiling cheeks. He sat quietly as Seishirou kissed them away, but Subaru felt in his heart that if he had spoken at that moment, it would have been to express his happiness at being chosen by this man in yet another world, to be possessed solely by the only arms that had ever felt like home.

After a few minutes, Seishirou pulled away and announced he was going to head to school. The child stood up to join him, but Seishirou forced him back into his seat, saying that his face wasn't ready yet to be seen by anyone else. He would give the teachers an excuse for him to show up late while the child took a moment to collect himself and wipe away the traces of the sorrow and joy that had spilled from his heart.

Subaru knew he should be getting back. Kamui was probably only seconds away from coming down and dragging him to the inn, and there was most likely little value in approaching the child and frightening him with a face resembling his own. But Subaru felt his feet moving forward in any case, desperate to find the answer to the question he had been unable to figure out on his own.

He settled down into the swing beside the child, the place Seishirou had only just vacated. Without thinking, his hands attempted to mimic the way Seishirou had held on to the chains, seeking the lingering warmth of the hand that moved under the same dictates as the soul he had fallen in love with and left behind.

The child looked up at him from an angle, without displaying most of the face he had reserved for another. When their green eyes met, his body tensed just slightly, although he said nothing and did not look away.

"It's okay to turn your face to me," Subaru said softly. "It won't break your promise. Your face is my own, and I have seen it many times, with tears or otherwise."

The child obeyed, still choosing to remain silent.

Subaru leaned forward. "Can I ask you something? That spirit from before... is there anything you can do to help her?"

"There are many spirits," the boy said, his eyes growing solemn. "And many that do not want to have their problems solved kindly. The only thing that will bring that soul happiness is having the one she is waiting for join her by his own choice, and too much time has passed for that to happen in the natural course of things. But her presence is causing trouble in this place. Developers are losing money, and families are moving away. I'm going to have to exorcise her." He closed his eyes and placed his hand over his heart. "But..."

_Only a child, but his heart is already old, _Subaru noted, saddened but not surprised. "But...?"

"I wanted to tell her that it's okay. That person loved her enough to grant her wish, even though it was probably painful for him. Even if he can't destroy himself with his own hands, he's probably waiting for her, too. Even if she can't see it now, there's a reason for her to be happy."

Subaru sighed, lifting up one hand to press against the child's forehead while he placed the other on his own. Their temperatures were the same, neither burning hot nor cold. Perfectly normal, just as it was supposed to be.

"You and I," he asked, searching the child's eyes, "is there something wrong with us? Or is it really okay to feel like this?"

The child stared at him, unmoving.

"The person you care about... does he make you happy?"

"Yes," the child finally answered, some of the smile returning to his eyes. "Everyone says he's a bad person and it isn't safe, but I don't want to be protected. All I wish is to be as he pleases."

"That's how it is, then." Subaru dropped his hand and gave a satisfied nod. "I see that this soul's wish isn't going to change."

The two of them sat there together, their heads bowed as the morning grew warmer and the rest of the half empty neighborhood rose from bed. _Please find me_, Subaru prayed as he always did when a new day began. _Catch me again, and make me yours. _But the sky remained silent, and no answer fell at his feet. For now, it had to be enough that this child was happy and could look upon the love in his heart with a measure of peace.

In ten more minutes, Kamui had joined them, staring down at the pair with troubled eyes. At length, he cleared his throat, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Subaru."

"Yes?"

"I think it's time for us to go now. We've been here too long."

"I understand."

Subaru rose to his feet and took Kamui's hands. It had stopped bothering him so much that he had to leave these places and make it that much harder for Seishirou to keep up with their pace. The thing Seishirou had wished for was what Subaru had wished for as well, and even with thousands of worlds between them, he did not believe the universe was strong enough to keep them apart indefinitely while their two hearts called out for each other.

He met the child's eyes one last time as the magic surrounded them and their bodies began their ascent from this world to the next. "Be happy," he murmured to the child, although he was the one of the two of them who would be forced to wait for happiness, who would struggle from world to world until the other half of his heart caught him again.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Next Up: **Kamui


	3. Kamui

**A/N: **Once again, thanks for everyone who has thus far supported, and I look forward to your continued feedback as our story progresses. Looks like it's Kamui and Fuuma time! As a side note, we all know that poor Fuuma has some... personality issues. In _X _he starts off as the nice boy next door, but morphs into his twin star persona, and his _Tsubasa _counterpart seems to be a mix of the original good guy and the one who has a few darker pleasures. As 'twin star' Fuuma represents many of secret desires already existing within him, I decided to make my Fuuma the blended version: nice with fair helpings of naughty. As for Kamui, well, let's just say Subaru has him down in this chapter when he mentions how Kamui's personality, um, shifts just a little when Fuuma gets his hands (or tongue) on him. Enjoy!

**Spoilers/Timeline: **Spoilers for Tokyo at the end. The first sections happen before Tokyo, the final part happens a bit before our SyaoSakuFaiKuroMoko group reaches Tokyo, around the time when Kamui and Fuuma would have met as rival leaders of government building group vs tower group.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Kamui**

Kamui had always shared a special bond with his twin, but the moment Subaru became entwined with that perverted hunter Seishirou, Kamui felt himself understanding his brother less and less. It was hard enough to comprehend how someone so good and pure-hearted as Subaru could feel fondness for a man who was quite possibly devoid of a soul, but Kamui couldn't even grasp the basic foundational emotion of love, having never felt it at all himself in that sense. There had been a girl in his home village named Kotori who he'd had a crush on when he was younger, but she had been born with an incurable illness, and had died before he'd ever had the chance to express an interest. And even then, he had been too young to feel anything more than childlike affection for her, along with an overwhelming need to protect her fragile and unsteady body from harm.

"Unconditionally gentle people like her don't last long in a world like this," his mother had said after the funeral, wiping away the tears Kamui shed. "It would have been hard on a strong boy like you to look after her and protect her from the shadows of the world for all your life. You already exhaust enough energy on Subaru as it is."

"I don't really need anyone to look after me," Subaru protested, though everyone had ignored his comment. Even as a child, he had a penchant for unknowingly walking into danger and managing just barely to get out again. He did it so often that Kamui should have seen the Seishirou incident coming from a mile away, but he had foolishly turned his back on his brother for a few precious hours, and suddenly everything had changed without a single way to go back.

In the worlds they traveled, Kamui sometimes saw copies of his brother, and there always seemed to be another version of the hunter not far off, bullying him or unabashedly toying with his innocent mind. He saw himself, too, from time to time, but he never seemed to be with anyone in particular. Once he and Subaru had landed in the middle of a park where two children, a dark haired and tall boy and a slender girl who had resembled Kotori, fought over what appeared to be a six year-old version of him, but the girl had fainted part way through the fight, and Kamui had quickly had them move on to another world so he wouldn't have to witness the girl who had been too gentle to live be taken away again. He almost started to wonder if he only heightened the bad luck around her with his presence.

For the most part, he didn't necessarily want to fall in love. Seeing what it had done to Subaru troubled him, and he knew that the moment his attention diverted from his brother, Seishirou would have the opening he needed to close in on his prey. But all the same, there was something about the thought of it that struck him as beautiful. There were so many people in the universe, but in every world they managed to find the exact person they were destined to be with in order to give their shared soul the chance to experience happiness time and time again. Time and space could not bring them apart, and what was meant to be was forever set and could not be torn asunder.

But in the end, it didn't matter. He'd already found his purpose, and there was no reason to turn to love to find another. He was going to save Subaru from himself and his ill-fated love for the hunter no matter what it took, and even if it meant that he cut off his chance for a transcendent, dimension-spanning love, that was a price he was more than willing to pay.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

They landed in an urban area when they next traveled, a dirty sort of place with high rise buildings and smelly back alleys filled with rats and people dressed in rags holding out tin cups. Kamui covered his nose. It was going to be a challenge making his elegant and refined brother inconspicuous in a place like this, but he would do as he had to. The first order of business was to find some money to afford a place to stay, which was always a difficult task. He glanced inside the ragged man's tin and spotted a few coppery coins, but the man only asked him to donate more and didn't seem inclined to share. Perhaps people in this world had to beg for their money.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Kamui said, dragging Subaru out of the alley. "We can find somewhere cleaner to catch our breath."

They wandered out into the central street, carefully keeping a low profile as they examined the natives of this place. Even though the city itself seemed dirty, the adults dressed neatly and wore pressed dress pants and blouses, while the young people either wore uniform sets or more casual looking clothes with shoes that squeaked when they walked.

"If we remove some of the layers, our clothes can probably pass here," Subaru noted. The last world they had visited had been in a desert where they had been expected to wear towel-like skirts and no shirts, so this news came as a relief to Kamui. If they had stayed there for much longer, Seishirou surely would have been drawn to them by the sheer power of his perversion alone.

The twins walked up and down the lanes, making note of the places that looked like the hotels or inns they stayed in before. Kamui kept a careful ear on the street vendors they passed, and learned that this world dealt in bills called 'dollars' and coins whose name changed depending on their size and color. The coins were easy to find lying around the street, but to get his hands on the bills, he'd had to use his extending nails to relieve a few women of their purses when Subaru was looking the other way.

After he'd compiled a sizable stack and lied to Subaru about finding it lying on the ground, Kamui had been ready to find a temporary home to set up in, but Subaru demanded, as he always did, that they take at least a few minutes to explore further. There were bells chiming down the street that reminded him of the chapel in their home world, and he wanted to get closer to listen before Kamui shut him away to protect him from Seishirou, whether it be his copies or the hunter himself.

The bells ended up belonging to a gated school building, which was signaling the end of the day. Teenaged kids were streaming from the school, talking and laughing and waving around their pieces of technology, living without a care in the world. Kamui snorted in disdain.

"Let's get away from here, Subaru," he insisted, tugging on his brother's sleeve. "It isn't good for us to be seen by so many people."

"But they're so interesting! Look at all the different hair colors, and the way skin is colored from person to person." Subaru gazed at them excitedly. "What kind of country do you think this is? Maybe it's a place where people from many different worlds have joined together!"

Kamui sighed. "Can we talk about that later? We really need to go—"

But before he could finish, he was cut off by the squealing of several girls standing beside them. "Look, look!" one hissed, pointing towards the school entrance. "It's Kamui, the new foreign exchange student! He's so beautiful, isn't he? Yooho! Kamui! Look over here!"

Kamui paled, standing on his toes to see who the girls were pointing to even though he was pretty sure he already knew. Sure enough, sauntering through the crowds of students was a younger teen boy wearing his face and using his mouth to grant his legions of fans an apathetic frown.

"Wow, Kamui," Subaru gasped. "It wasn't so long ago that you looked his age. You look very nice in this world. And a little bit scary."

"Who said I wanted all of this attention?" Kamui grumbled, ducking behind the gate in case his other body actually did decide to look at the girls calling out to him. "By the way, don't get any ideas about letting him see us."

"The me I met in another world didn't seem too frightened by me, remember?"

"That boy was an onmyoji, and is probably used to things like this. Besides, there are too many witnesses here. And you'd get dragged into it, too."

"But it looks like you could get a few girlfriends out of it," Subaru said solemnly. "Maybe your soulmate is here."

"I wouldn't count on it," Kamui snorted. "I don't think I even have a soulmate."

"Oi, Kamui!"

Kamui and Subaru looked up to see a taller, dark haired boy leave the school and jog to catch up with Kamui. He was good looking— muscular and well groomed with striking golden eyes— but perhaps not so beautiful as Kamui, though his presence elicited a few more squeals from the nearby girls. "It's Fuuma," the one who had called out to Kamui sighed, sounding a little disappointed.

"Don't you think he's handsome, too?" one of her friends asked.

"Oh, he's all right. But he doesn't let anyone get close to Kamui, and he's always dragging him off to his basketball games to show off to him. If he'd just back off, maybe I could get Kamui to go out on a date with me."

"He's the school prince. It would take the fun out of it if he actually started dating someone."

At this point, the boy named Fuuma accosted Kamui and had a pretty tight grip on his upper arm. "Where are you going?" he asked, his voice quiet in volume but strangely commanding. "Didn't we have plans?"

"N-no, and I'm going home right now," Kamui said, looking a bit flustered. " Let go." His eyes were narrowing into the look the original Kamui used as a warning whenever he was on the verge of losing his temper.

"Oh no," Subaru fretted, biting his nails. "He was just asking a question. You shouldn't get mad at him."

"You're acting like I have any control over what's going on over there," he hissed. "And don't do that, you might hurt yourself."

Fuuma continued to gaze down at Kamui, smiling with palpable warmth as he tugged the boy closer by the arm. "You said we'd go out to play later after school. Remember? I got you to promise me." His mouth edged near Kamui's neck. "Are you going back on your word?"

"No. Just let go of me."

"Don't be mean. Aren't we _friends?_"

On the other side of the gate, Subaru tilted his head. "Are you? Have we met him before?"

"No, I'd remember someone like that," Kamui said, shaking his head. "Someone like him who can't keep his hands to himself."

"But you're blushing, so maybe you like it?"

"I AM NOT!"

"I meant the other you," Subaru said, pointing at the younger Kamui who was looking particularly flushed as Fuuma took his hands and pulled him out of the school courtyard, ignoring all the students watching them with their mouths agape. "But now you are, too."

Without noticing Subaru and Kamui peeking through the gate, Fuuma led his Kamui down the street, back towards the business quarter where the twins had first landed. The young Kamui was actively trying to loose himself from Fuuma's grip, but the taller boy seemed a good deal stronger, and much more determined to hang on to his companion than his companion was to get away.

"We should follow," Kamui decided, rising to his feet. "I don't trust this guy. What if he tries to do something to me?"

"Tries something?" Subaru smiled slyly. "Would you stop him?"

"Of course I would! He looks almost as perverted as that hunter, and _that_ me definitely isn't interested in him. Don't you see me trying to shake him off?"

"You aren't trying all that hard. Besides, when he holds you, you look rather..."

"Rather...?"

"Rather maidenly," Subaru admitted. "But maybe that's because he's so much bigger than you."

"We're not talking about this anymore," Kamui snapped. _And just because you've fallen in love with a pervert, doesn't mean I have to, too, _he thought to himself, keeping it inside so he wouldn't hurt Subaru's feelings. _There's no way that guy is my type. I like delicate people, people I have to protect. Like Kotori. Although since that wasn't fated to end well, maybe..._

"There's absolutely no way," he said firmly, quickening his pace. If this Fuuma tried to prove him wrong, he'd give him a chance to be touched by a hand with nails fully extended and see how he liked it.

Fuuma eventually pulled the other Kamui down one of the back allies, and ducked behind a big green dumpster used by one of the nearby restaurants. He looked in both directions before pinning Kamui to the restaurants' brick wall and staring down at him with golden eyes that had suddenly turned from warm to possessive. Subaru and Kamui knelt down behind a tin trash can and watched the two of them without saying a word.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone," Kamui said, avoiding Fuuma's gaze. "I-I never said I wanted to do these kinds of things with you."

"You didn't?" Fuuma leaned in closer, so his breath was brushing against Kamui's neck. "That's not what I remember you saying at all. All I can recall is you asking— no, _begging_— for more." A pointed tongue snaked out and gave Kamui a slow lick against the neck. "Is saying no what you really want?"

Behind the trash can, Kamui extended his nails and attempted to ignore his own embarrassment. _Just say no_, he begged himself, shivering as Fuuma's lick on his counterpart turned into a kiss and then a gentle bite. _That guy is just toying with you for one thing, and it means nothing other than that_. But at the same time, he observed the way Fuuma's arms cradled his copy's body, the way his golden eyes skimmed over him as if in worship, treasuring every inch of the neck he was administering to. The heat in Kamui kept increasing, and though he tried to fight it back because he knew Subaru was watching, a part of him almost wondered what it would feel like to be inside his other body, feeling the wet surface of the tongue stroking him, the hot caress of eyes that watched him and saw _everything_. Would it be nice to be the one who was protected, even if he was more used to doing the protecting?

Instead of refuting Fuuma any more than he already had, the other Kamui seemed to melt into the other man's kisses, his eyes closing and his breathing increasing. "Fuuma," he whispered, his body beginning to tremor slightly as hands fumbled for his blazer and lifted it higher. "Fuuma."

_He _**is** _making me maidenly, _Kamui realized with growing horror. _It's as if I become lost from the moment he gets close to me like this. Who is this man that he makes me forget myself so easily?_

"Um," Suburu whispered into his twin's ear. "I get the feeling that I'm watching something I really shouldn't."

"Then don't." Kamui covered Subaru's eyes with his hand. "And... try not to listen either."

With Subaru safely protected from the proceedings, Kamui turned his attention back to the other two. "All those girls," Fuuma was murmuring in between kissing the other Kamui's collarbone. "You shouldn't be so calm about letting them fawn over you like that. They don't know a thing about you, do they? I was the one who grew up with you, and I was the one who was always there to take care of you when you needed me. I'm the one who will protect you and give you what you want, and you shouldn't let them even pretend that they could be what I am to you."

"I don't need... someone... to..."

Kamui's words were cut off by a sudden gasp. Fuuma's hands had dropped from his stomach to the waistband of his pants, and were beginning to slide beneath. From behind the trash can, Kamui felt his own body beginning to respond, though a slight sigh from Subaru calmed him down. He couldn't let his brother see this side of him, not after all he had done to protect Subaru from experiencing the same thing.

"You look after everyone you think needs you, but who is it that looks after you?" Fuuma continued, and when his hand started to move, Kamui collapsed against his chest, his eyes wide and his mouth moving wordlessly. "It would make me happy if you chose me to be that person. I want to be the one Kamui thinks of when he thinks of his most precious thing."

"Fuuma... you already... you already are the most important person. The one person I have left. You don't have to do anything else."

"Don't I?" Fuuma stopped his hand, and Kamui let out a short whimper of surprise. "Weren't you the one who went running off to a different country without telling me? Would you do that to someone you cared about?"

"B-but... Kotori had died while she was together with me, and I thought..."

"You thought...?"

"I thought your family... I thought you would hold me responsible. She was always getting hurt because of me, and I didn't want that to happen to you, too."

"Silly Kamui," Fuuma sighed, stroking the boy's hair. "It isn't your job to worry about me. I'm the one who is going to keep you safe, not the other way around, okay? You're a strong guy, but I'm even stronger, so it'll all be fine, all right? Kotori wouldn't want you to have any guilt over what happened." He planted a small kiss on Kamui's forehead and began moving his hand again, holding onto his companion carefully so he was enveloped on either side, held steady and kept safe.

Kamui tore his eyes away, his heart feeling heavy in his chest. _Is that really what I want? To be protected in the same way I protect others? _He'd never thought of wishing for something as simple as that before. He'd always been the strongest wherever he went, his firmness of will and training as a vampire surpassing even those who towered over him in size. He'd never stopped to wonder what it felt like to be at the center of someone's world rather than holding someone else as his center, and the thought of it made him somewhat nervous. The Kamui he knew was tough and stubborn, resistant to letting anyone other than his family get too close, but now he was aware of another man inside of him, one whose defenses were able to be lowered and one who wanted greedy eyes upon him, taking in him and only him and holding him most sacred.

_But no, _he thought, feeling Subaru shift against him, _I've already chosen the life I'm going to live. Fighting for him, fighting for his survival. He is more vulnerable, more innocent than me. He's the one who needs protecting, and I don't have the time to let someone else in who will burden us by following after me. Besides... that guy is most definitely a pervert. I have proof of that now._

He sat there in the dirty alley covering Subaru's eyes and brooding to himself until the other two left, Fuuma cooing about Kamui's supposed cuteness and Kamui snapping back at him, returned to his more rigid self. When he released his brother, Subaru looked up at him in concern, his big green eyes dear and trusting.

"Kamui, do you want to—"

"I want to go. We've seen enough here."

Subaru looked sad at this answer, but sighed and rose to his feet. "At least leave the money for someone else to pick up, all right?"

"Fine. Let's go."

_All I need is to keep moving, _he reminded himself firmly, taking his twin's hand. _I don't need anything else other than this._

0o0o0o0o0o0o

A few months later found Kamui in the middle of a battle with a monster in the land called Tokyo, where he had managed to mess things up and get his brother in trouble, as well as somehow ending up as the leader of a group of gloomy survivors who'd holed up in their country's government building. He'd been in a surly mood ever since. Yet again, he'd served as a poor protector on his brother's behalf, and the more time they were stuck in this half-dead world, the more likely it became that Seishirou would show up and get his hands on Subaru before Kamui could figure out a way to rescue him.

From behind him, he heard the rumble of a motorbike. "Oi," a voice called out to him. Kamui turned around. A man in a long green coat and sunglasses was watching him. "I heard the Government Building Group got their hands on a strong new leader. Is that you, _Kamui?_"

Kamui stared at him for a long moment before recognizing him. "YOU!" He lifted his crossbow, aiming it at the man's shoulder. "Stay back!"

"What's this?" Fuuma lifted his hands in surrender, smiling jovially. "You're trying to kill me already, even though you don't know me? I've heard about you before, but I'm sure we haven't met. I would remember someone cute and strong like you, right?"

"D-don't get any ideas," Kamui yelled. "I'm not going to do those kinds of weird things like that with you! No matter what! So go back to wherever you came from, or I'll shoot!"

"Whoa," Fuuma said, looking impressed. "Did you just read my mind, or something? In that case, forgive me my impure thoughts. But you're kind of my type, you know? Even tough people like you need someone watching their backs. And you've got a rather nice back to watch, too!"

Kamui fired off a warning shot, which Fuuma easily dodged. He grit his teeth. _If this world wasn't bad enough, now this?_

Fuuma jumped back on his bike with a wink. "Let's continue to get along, Kamui! I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon!"

When Kamui returned to the government building, he stopped by the reservoir and offered up a prayer that his brother would find a way outside of his dream so they could leave before what very well might be his destiny came true and once again reset the troubled course of their lives.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Next Up: **Fai


	4. Fai

**A/N: **Thinking through this chapter took a bit of effort on my part. I wasn't sure if I wanted to write as the pre-Tokyo Fai, or the aloof person who revealed himself after. Though both versions have their share of dark inner thoughts, I opted to go post-Tokyo and explore the dynamics of KuroFai's fracturing relationship and how that would play out alongside Fai meeting a Kurogane from another world. I hope you enjoy reading what I came up with!

**Spoilers/Timeline: **Spoilers for Tokyo and somewhat for Celes. Timeline is after Tokyo, but before Infinity... but the emo-ness of Infinity is openly embraced!

0o0o0o0o0o0

**Fai**

Fai was well familiar with what it felt like to be trapped. So much of his life had been spent stuck and unchanging, waiting passively for things to get better and then getting caught in the flow of other people's whims, drifting along with no control or thought of acting on his own behalf and altering the course he'd been set upon. His life had been mapped out by other hands, and the route he would take could not be changed, even if his heart fought against the stagnation that he had imposed on it. His fate was his fate, and there was no way around it.

Half asleep, his hand sought the patch over the eye the child he could not protect had taken from him. That, too, had been an inevitable step, as had the pain the princess had suffered, as had the cruelty he had used to keep the one he could not let himself love from coming closer. They were all moving neatly along the path Fei Wang Reed had drawn, and there was nothing that could be done to stop. There was no point in fighting, or feeling anything other than resignation for what was meant to come.

_It doesn't matter_, he coached himself. _If we keep moving forward, my brother will be safe. What happens to me isn't important. The only thing I've done with this life is make the people I care about most suffer. I'm not the kind of person who deserves to live, and the world will be better for my absence._

With a yawn, he surrendered himself to the new day and opened his good eye, reorienting himself. It was early morning, and they were no longer in Tokyo. This new world they had found themselves in was on the countryside, a long stretch of rice fields where farmers lived and worked off of the land. One of the workers had put Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fai up in his shed for a small fee, and allowed Sakura to live in the main house and be tended to by his wife. It was a good arrangement, for the most part. Sakura was still in pain from her recent awareness of her true identity and the loss of the Syaoran-kun she had loved, and it was best for her to be on her own for awhile, as well as for the Syaoran who had been left to deal with the damage his other self had left behind. For Kurogane and Fai, it had been difficult to be in such close quarters, but they had been able to keep their bitterness to themselves for once, so the kid would not have to see.

Fai stumbled to his feet, fumbling into the clothes their host had given them to wear. The workers preferred a loose and baggy style paired with triangular shaped sun hats to keep their skin from being burned as they labored, which Fai thought looked a bit silly on him. He remembered the times in the other worlds when he and Kurogane had teased one another about their clothes, or Kurogane had grumbled over how Fai always managed to find a way to show his stomach even more often than Sakura did. He wanted to smile at these memories, but they had become painful now, a reminder of how he had taken a wrong turn on his path and almost fooled himself into happiness. He couldn't go back to how he had been; the choice had already been made in Tokyo, when he'd redrawn the line between himself and Kurogane. Reliving those times would only hurt him, and lead him to further question the wish he would not abandon, the path that could not be changed.

"Oi," Kurogane murmured as Fai's hand grappled in the dim light for the door. "Going somewhere?"

"Walk," Fai answered shortly. "It's still early. Go back to sleep."

"Wait." Fai heard Kurogane pull off his covers and rise to his feet. "How are you feeling?"

The hair on the back of Fai's neck stood up. This was Kurogane's method of asking if he was hungry, or more accurately, his fallback method when the situation wasn't ideal for him to go ahead and cut his wrist and stick it in front of Fai without preamble. Kurogane didn't trust Fai to alert him to his hungers on his own, which was wise of him. Fai had only fed on one occasion, but the act had been so hard on him that he hadn't made any effort to willingly enter into it again. Before Kurogane had committed the unforgivable act of saving his life that had pushed their tenuous relationship to a point too far for Fai, the mage had always secretly hungered for a deeper connection with the ninja, even in spite of his better judgment. Drinking of Kurogane's blood had brought him that connection, but in a form so twisted and one sided that he couldn't bear to torture himself with it any more than he had to. It would almost be easier to starve himself than it would to continue on in this way, teasing himself with an intimate act that had absolutely nothing to do with love.

"I'm feeling wonderful, _Kurogane_," he said flatly, opening the door. "Go back to sleep."

He didn't turn around to catch a glimpse of Kurogane's face before walking out onto the dirt road and heading past the fields. _I never wanted you to get involved, _he cursed to himself, ignoring the guilty feeling in his heart. _You were the one I most wanted to keep away, and_ _now because you won't stop caring for me, you're the one who will end up the most hurt._

But it couldn't be helped. Like this countryside, his future had only one road, and led to only one place. All he could do was follow it, and hope that saving his brother would bring enough happiness to give him rest at the end of the journey.

The farmers were already out in the fields as Fai made his way down the road, their feet ankle deep in water and their bodies bending and stooping as they picked their crop. Fai was envious of them. Their lives were quiet and would not lead them the places his had led him. They worked hard and strained themselves in their labors, but they had been spared the Tower, the land that had turned to hell solely because of him.

One of the farmers, a big, burly middle aged man, looked up at Fai as he passed. Fai returned his gaze for a moment, feeling something familiar about his presence. Perhaps it was someone he had met before on his journeys, yet another manifestation of someone familiar. He nodded his head politely, just in case, and kept walking on.

"OI!" the man suddenly yelled, chucking the basket he was holding at Fai's head. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you think this is a funny idea for a joke?"

The basket hit Fai's sun hat, which went flying off upon impact. He stared at the man, bewildered. There was no mistaking that voice, even though the man it belonged to was a good deal older than the one he knew, his hair graying in places and his face weathered by years in the sun. "K-Kurogane?"

"So you do know who I am." The man stomped out of the fields and balled his muddy fist into the front of Fai's shirt to threateningly pull him close. "Was it the witch? Thought she'd have a little laugh, did she?"

"Witch?" Fai said blankly, his body not sure which shock to respond to first. "Do you mean Yuuko-san?"

"So it was her. That _bitch_." He ripped off his hat and spat on the ground. "I'm going to beat some sense into her. And you, too, if you don't give me a good explanation as to why you did this."

"Excuse me," Fai said, trying to catch his bearings. "I'm not here because of Yuuko-san. I've never met the one who lives here, and she definitely didn't ask me to speak with you. And I'm sorry if I offended you somehow, but it wasn't intentional."

"Hmph." Kurogane rubbed his chin, studying him critically. "Well, you're not a ghost, that's for sure. You look like he did, but you're acting much too polite, and there's no explaining that eye patch. You're either a really bad actor sent to imitate him, or else a relative. But then again, your presence is too similar. I felt it immediately when you walked by. It's not exactly like his, but it's too close to be ignored..."

"I'm probably not who you think I am," Fai interrupted him, deciding it would be best to get out of the situation before it went any further. "It would be good for you to forget about this."

"Not a chance." Kurogane snatched his arm and started dragging him down the road. "You and I are going to have a nice long chat, and I'm not going to let you go until I'm satisfied with your explanation."

"Hey, you can't just leave!" one of the workers yelled out to Kurogane as Fai attempted to free himself from his grip. "There's no one here to cover for you."

"And you expect me to just ignore this idiot?" He whirled Fai around so the other workers could see his face.

Each of them dropped their baskets and went slack jawed. "F-Fai-sama? How can that be?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to figure out."

Kurogane dragged Fai to a small house much like the one their group was staying in. He kicked off his shoes and threw open the door with a loud, "Oi, I'm back," before plopping down onto a cushion on the floor. Fai glanced around, wondering who else shared the home with him, but there was no one there that he could see, and no sign of any belongings other than Kurogane's own. The house itself was sparse and had only the most basic of furniture. The one area that seemed cleanly kept was the small shrine Kurogane had sat down in front of. Fai leaned forward to get a better look. Behind the flowers and candles collected on the table was a framed ink painting of a young man dressed in flowing robes, glancing forward with a mischievous smile in his pale blue eyes.

Fai clapped his hand over his mouth. "Oh," he whispered. "Oh..."

Kurogane looked over at him with a frown. "Sit down. And give me a moment."

As Fai took the cushion beside him, Kurogane lit the stick of incense in front of the painting and clapped his hands together. "Hey you," he began unceremoniously, "if you had anything to do with this, I'm going to hunt you down and smack you. If I ever said something about wanting to see you again, I didn't mean a younger version of you with an eye patch and depressed expression. So if this is your doing, please send him back from wherever he came from and rest peacefully."

"Um," Fai said softly. "That's not quite how it is."

"Huh. It was worth a try. It seemed like something he would have done." Kurogane sighed and bowed to the shrine before turning back to Fai. "Are you going to explain yourself, in that case?"

"The truth is something very hard to believe... it would be best for you not to know."

"Oh? So someone who looks nearly exactly like my deceased companion wanders by on the anniversary of his death, and I'm not supposed to ask any questions? Excuse me for calling you a bad actor earlier. You're as much of an idiot as that guy was."

"I apologize for bringing up any bad memories, Kurogane, but—"

Kurogane bristled. "Why are you calling me like that? It's weird."

"That's your name."

"Yeah, but that never stopped you from calling me strange things before. Or him, I should say." His eyes narrowed. "I can't decide whether you are him or not. In some ways it seems like you are, but there's too many things that are different."

Fai bit his lip, finally deciding it would be best to give up the information and get it over with rather than be kept hostage and have Syaoran and the other Kurogane show up and give him even more reasons to be riled up. "I am not him, or at least not the particular person you knew. It's more like I'm who he would have been if he had lived somewhere else and had another life."

Fai carefully explained the rules of the dimensions Yuuko had given them, describing how the same soul could live under different conditions in numerous worlds, different, but yet in many ways the same.

Kurogane massaged his forehead, looking very much as if he was on the verge of a headache. "So you have his soul, huh? And you've met people who also live in this world, like me and the witch. And you've traveled here because...?"

"Personal reasons."

"Personal reasons," Kurogane echoed, looking doubtful. "You mean for the kind of reasons that would put that frown on your face and make you call me 'Kurogane' in such a mopey voice. Don't think you can fool me. I lived with that idiot for too long to forget about the reasons why he got into those moods of his."

He reached towards the shrine and lifted another, smaller portrait that had been covered by the flowers to place in Fai's hand. The picture was of a young boy with long blonde hair sitting in the sunlight, his eyes closed and his lips smiling in contentment.

"My twin," Fai whispered, bowing his head.

"Ah, so I was right." Kurogane clucked his tongue. "You and he grew up in this village and were a few years older than me. The two of you used to drive me crazy. First I had you poking and chasing me around, and then I had your brother trying to keep up and getting himself hurt." He shook his head. "You never forgave yourself when he died. The look on your face now is just the same as his was."

"How did my brother die?" Fai asked, struggling to keep his voice steady. _Was it my fault again? Am I yet again the one standing in the way of my brother's happiness?_

Kurogane shrugged. "There was a flood. It killed a lot of people here. Your brother, my mother and father, the man with the glasses who lived together with the witch. You had gotten yourself stuck up in a tree when it started, and I had just gone up to get you, so we managed to make it out alive, the two of us. You tried to jump down a few times to look for your brother while the water was still coming, but I wouldn't let you. It took you a long time to forgive me for that one, too. You kept calling me 'Kurogane' when you bothered to talk to me at all."

"It works," Fai said tightly. "It gets you to back off."

"Maybe at first. But I wasn't about to sit back and watch you mourn yourself to death either. If you wouldn't forgive me for not saving your brother, there's no chance your brother would let it go quietly if I didn't manage to save you. So I did."

"You did. Just like that?" Fai grit his teeth, and he felt something in his body shift to the new, predatory being existing within him. "Are you telling me I abandoned my brother and let it go? I don't know who I was in this world, but in every place and time there is, I am certain that my brother's soul is more pure and worthy of life than mine."

Kurogane stared at him, his jaw clenching. "The only way you can abandon the dead is by forgetting them. And you never did that, not even for a moment. Just as I haven't abandoned that guy, even though I don't spend the time I have left here without him trying to find ways to bring him back."

Fai stared at Kurogane, open mouthed.

"Look, I had a good life with that guy. It was shorter than I thought it would be, but it was _good_. I was lucky to survive that flood, and I was lucky that he survived it, too, and I'm not about to demand the universe give me more time than I was lucky enough to get. Sure, I was upset you fell ill. I did everything I could to keep you alive, but in the end, there was nothing I could do other than see you off. The day after, I even attacked the witch's house with an ax to make myself feel better, but I had to know when to stop. I had to learn what you learned when your twin died: there's nothing kind about burdening the dead with our guilt. What's important is living, and living well enough to feel the smiles of those who are gone shining down from wherever they are. But something tells me that _you _have yet to learn."

"My history is different," Fai said, his shoulders shaking. "I _let _my brother die. It was a choice between my life and his, and I chose myself. I did something unforgivable, and I intend to make sure he doesn't continue to suffer for it."

"The only time I ever knew your brother to suffer was when you were unhappy, so the way you are now must be what's making him miserable, if anything. And like I said, you can't fool me." He grabbed Fai's chin and squeezed it. "I know your soul inside and out, and you would _never _choose yourself when it comes to your brother. I don't know what that head of yours tells you to believe, but never doubt that."

He let Fai go and rose to his feet. "Go back," he advised. "As I said, I don't need you to be here when all I wish is for you to rest peacefully. And I am sure the me at your side needs you more than I do."

"You don't know that," Fai said. "All I do is cause you pain. It would be better for you if our paths had never crossed."

"Hmph. You caused plenty of trouble in life, but you caused even more by dying. Don't you dare say the me now is happier than I was when you were here. You're the one who doesn't know."

He opened the door and gestured to Fai to make his way back outside. Fai crossed over the threshold, turning back to look at Kurogane one last time. He was still handsome, even though he was older and had lived through so much, and Fai realized it must have been a happy life for him to live with this man who cared for him so dearly. _The same soul... had things been different, this could have been my fate, as well._

"You know," Fai said, meeting Kurogane's eyes. "Towards you, I—"

"I know," Kurogane cut him off. "I always did. But if you don't trust in it, it doesn't do you or me any good. So get your head on straight and figure out what it is you want before you end up losing your only chance to have it."

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Syaoran was awake and working beside their host in the fields when Fai returned. "Fai-san," he said, wiping his brow, "Mokona and Sakura-hime have gone to ask the locals about legends that might have to do with a feather here. They left breakfast for you in the main house for when you came back."

"Where's Kurogane?"

"Waiting for you." He paused for a moment. "Um, Fai-san?"

"Yes?"

"What happened to you was my fault, so please... don't make Kurogane-san the one who is punished for it. When I watched your journey, I could tell that you really enjoyed the time you two spent together, so please don't take that away now that he needs that time more than ever."

Fai smiled sadly and ruffled Syaoran's hair. "I don't blame you for what happened, Syaoran-kun. There's nothing left to blame but fate."

_There is only one road_, he thought to himself. _Kurogane is the one who is wrong_. _Destiny cannot be defied. People who were born to be trapped can never be free._

Kurogane was waiting for him at the table, and quietly passed him his plate and tea. Fai stumbled through the use of the chopsticks, as always, but the other man didn't bother laughing at him as he usually did. Too much had changed to go back, and the only place to go was forwards, towards the unavoidable end. Perhaps even Kurogane was realizing that now. He had said it himself: _You would never choose yourself when it comes to your brother. _And even when the matter came to his own happiness, he truly never would.

"Oi," Kurogane said suddenly, taking a sip of his own tea, "I'm not giving up, you hear? I won't believe Tomoyo-hime sent me on this journey just to have everything fall apart, and even the witch must have some faith in the future. So do your worst, mage. As long as my sword is sharp, I'm not going to let either of us die."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Kurogane," Fai answered, staring without expression down into his lap.

"Yes you do. And I know that things are going to keep getting harder before they get any easier, so it's not like I think you're going to stop messing around anytime soon. It's the way of the world. But it changes nothing. If you think your destiny is to die, I'll point you down a different path."

"The universe doesn't let people change its plans, _Kurogane_."

"It's about to. If you don't believe there's a way out, there isn't going to be one. But the moment you can see one, that's when you know you can take it, because it's _there_. And I intend to, even if you don't."

Fai looked at him in surprise. _I think Ashura said that once, _he remembered. _'If you see a path, then it can be taken. Only people who close their minds to choice are truly trapped'. But is that right? There is only one future, and it is Fate that carves the path, and it lays down only one._

But in a way, he had seen that second path. He had seen a life with Kurogane, a place where he had not sacrificed himself for his brother, a painting of himself where his smile had been real, one of pure and contented happiness. _A way out_, he realized. _Not one I am strong enough to take, but one that I can see and must have the potential to be taken._

And maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing, if he managed to find his feet straying from their path once again. This Kurogane was not the one who had lived at his side and mourned his death, but this one still had love enough to keep him safe, to want to spend the time they still had together. _How happy it would be, _he could not keep from thinking again, even though his heart still had little trust in the idea of happiness for himself, _how happy I must have been to live a full life at the side of that man. How happy it would make me now if my soul could find its way to that ending once again._

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**Next Up:** Fuuma


	5. Fuuma

**A/N: **The otherworld encounter between Fuuma and Kamui in this chapter was actually inspired by some official CLAMP art from X showing the two as children. You could tell by looking at their body language and faces that Kamui had a bright and adventurous spirit, and that Fuuma was the person looking after him, making sure he didn't get into trouble or hurt himself (which makes what happens in X all the more tragic). In their relationship here, I wanted to evoke that dynamic between them a little bit because I truly think it's a beautiful sentiment. Hope you enjoy!

**Spoilers/Timeline: **Very slight for Tokyo. If you know who Fuuma is and what role he plays in Tokyo, you're probably good to go.

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**Fuuma**

Fuuma had never felt quite deserving of the title of 'the good brother' he had earned by being related to Seishirou. It wasn't difficult by any means to behave better than his brother, or at least express himself with more subtlety and less unfeeling brutality verging on sadism. But at the same time, he envied the treasure Seishirou had found in Subaru, and wondered what it would be like to have such a beautiful creature enthralled by him and willing to sacrifice all of his freedoms to be loved and treasured in his care. He, too, wanted something that was his to possess solely, something that bent and revealed itself only at his whim. Not someone like Subaru, exactly— from Seishirou's description of him, he seemed too willing and meek to present much of a challenge— but someone who would resist his capture up until the point where it would be impossible to refuse to give in.

He had always liked the sound of the Kamui from Seishirou's descriptions, although his brother didn't treat the vampire too kindly given the fact that he had been responsible for taking Subaru away 'in the middle of their fun'. Seishirou didn't like things that stood in the way of what he wanted, and usually ended up killing them for the annoyance they posed, but Fuuma was intrigued by Kamui's natural compulsion to step in for his brother, even though Subaru didn't wish to be saved from the monster devouring him. No such sentiment existed between him and Seishirou, but it sounded nice to him to have something that precious to protect. The objects he collected from world to world were valuable and often served some magnificent purpose, but they were just objects; he felt no burning desire to keep them safe or hoard them to himself when they seemed to be needed elsewhere. But he wanted to feel that way about someone or something. He wanted to be filled with enough possessiveness to cage his prey forever, to intertwine their fates and assure that the one he caught would never look or feel or rely on anyone else other than him.

And when he saw Kamui for the first time in Tokyo, his slight body weighed down by his heavy red cloak and his silken black hair blowing in the dusty wind, he thought _now here is someone who has never relied on anyone in his life._ It was an exciting thought. The boy's heart was untouched territory, and his defenses were something that had never been breached, not even by the brother he held so firmly to. He probably didn't even know what it felt like to be thought of in the way Seishirou looked upon Subaru, or what kind of magnetism could connect two people in spite of their better judgment. But Fuuma felt it as he watched him from the back of his motorcycle, imagining the soft and hard lines of the body beneath Kamui's cloak and how perfect that pert scowl would look when turned to him. If any heart could tame the resistance of this proud beast, he wanted it to be his. Even if Kamui fought against it and saw no point in having his protective layer invaded, Fuuma wanted him to submit, to reveal the begging and desirous face that only he could show. Fuuma may have been the good brother compared to Seishirou, but that didn't mean he had to really be _good_.

Of course, Kamui had been armed and dangerous at that time, and the situation in the country itself hadn't been ideal enough for him to do anything more than tease the vampire and try to get a rise out of him. They fought from time to time, and Fuuma always managed to find a way to win and take advantage of having his spoils in his hands for a few brief seconds, but the closeness seemed to disturb something in Kamui, and he slipped away before Fuuma could do anything more than whisper in his ear. But nothing about this was particularly bothersome. Fuuma didn't like things that fell into his hands without any work, and Kamui was well worth the winning and the effort it would take. There was something exceptional about the way their bodies felt pressed together, and in the moments when Kamui somewhat relaxed into the touch before panicking and fleeing. He didn't understand why, but it felt somehow familiar, and the feeling of it echoing through his body was so fitting that he knew he would be happy to remain in such an embrace for his whole life, if need be.

But Fuuma had needed to set off again after the group of travelers had shaken Tokyo to its core and made it necessary for him to reveal that Seishirou was his brother, which was all the motivation Kamui needed to pull Subaru away. It was sad, really. Subaru had worn such a mournful little look at the thought of Fuuma being the one to reach him rather than Seishirou, and the voice in which he had asked after the hunter was so riddled with longing that even Kamui had the decency to look a bit flustered. Fuuma had assured him that Seishirou would undoubtedly find his way soon, and with a sly look at Kamui, added that he, too, hoped this would not be their last meeting.

"It won't be," Subaru had said suddenly, his green eyes looking so full and earnest that Seishirou would have probably killed Fuuma for having the privilege of seeing them without permission. "You are Kamui's important person, after all."

After that, Kamui had turned a brilliant shade of red, grabbed Subaru, and left Tokyo behind without giving either Fuuma or his brother the chance to say anything more. Fuuma watched him fondly as he left, not fully understanding what Subaru meant, but hoping that somewhere in Kamui's heart it was the truth. There was something certain to Subaru's words as if he knew without question they would all end up back together, and the fact that he was capable of ensnaring Seishirou's obsession suggested to Fuuma that there was something special about him, and that maybe he _did _know. In any case, Fuuma had never once failed to retrieve a treasure he had set his heart on getting, so he doubted Kamui would be able to evade him for long.

_And I am your important person, after all, _Fuuma thought to himself, rubbing his hands together with a smile. _Whether you know it or not, I will be the one to make the wall around your heart fall._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

After finally leaving behind his former group to the care of the government building gang in Tokyo, Fuuma traveled to a southern island to hunt down a supposed trove of primitive instruments a collector had hired him to find. He wasn't excited about this particular task, but he was looking forward to seeing the location; according to his research, the country was known for its white sandy beaches, which attracted tourists from all sorts of countries. He'd never been much of a swimmer, and actually preferred the kinds of sports he learned in the other worlds he'd visited— such as basketball and fencing— but he'd spent such a long time in Tokyo that he appreciated the chance to get some fresh air and sea breeze without risking his life for it.

He doubted Subaru and Kamui had ended up in this place along with him, but he didn't mind imagining they had. Even with his pale skin, Kamui had to look excellent in a swim suit. Especially the tiny suits some of the more serious swimmers seemed to be wearing here. Of course, he had to look even better without _anything _on, but Fuuma wasn't going to push his luck that far. Yet.

He took a short circuit around the beach, shedding his heavy coat as he went. He was the only fully clothed person in the area, though he figured it was more his dark hair and pale skin that earned the locals' stares. If they said anything about him amongst themselves, he couldn't understand; their accents were so thick that he figured it would take him much more time in this place to get accustomed to it.

As he walked and admired the surroundings, Fuuma felt something run into his leg. He looked down. A small child with dark hair and purplish blue eyes had crashed into him and landed in the sand, his small lips quivering in embarrassment at having fallen in front of a stranger. Fuuma's eyes widened. He did not immediately recognize the child, but there was something about his presence that seemed familiar, although in some ways different to one he was already aware of. He knelt down. _Those are Kamui's eyes, _he realized, watching a few stray tears fall down as the child began to sniffle. He suddenly remembered a time when he had encountered himself as an older man in one of the worlds he had visited, although he had not felt comfortable addressing himself at the time, not only because he didn't want to give his other self a scare, but also because he had no real burning question to ask. It didn't matter if he was successful in that world because he would have to build his own success regardless, and if he had some soulmate or another he was supposed to be chasing, he would find that person even without the knowledge of who it was.

But he thought that this encounter might be different. He had been attracted to the Kamui he had met in Tokyo, but it had taken so long for their paths to intersect that he felt somewhat cheated. He wasn't aware of how Kamui had grown up or what circumstances had made him the way he was. All he had to go by was the persistent affection in his heart paired with what he could sense from Kamui whenever they had occasion to touch or speak. He liked his fire and stubbornness and even the occasional weakness that showed when Fuuma got too close, but he didn't know where that spark came from or how Kamui would receive the idea of letting someone slip past the barriers he had set up to be a better protector of Subaru.

_Of course, I doubt I'll get that much out of such a small child_, he thought, but he extended his hand in any case, and helped the slight figure to his feet. The child looked at him warily at first, but at last gave a shy smile and said a polite thank you.

"Can I help you find your mother?" Fuuma asked, scanning the beach for a dark haired woman who matched the child. It didn't seem like it would be too difficult given the rarity of both dark hair and light skin in this country, but the beach was so crowded that even Fuuma had difficulty seeing from one person to another.

"I don't have a mother," the child said, suddenly sullen again. The way his mouth curled and his eyebrows furrowed confirmed in Fuuma's mind that he had found his way to Kamui, although not quite the version he was searching for.

"Well, then who's looking after you? They must be worried about you, right?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm all alone." He buried his face in Fuuma's pant leg and began to sniffle again.

"Now, now." Fuuma reached down to ruffle his hair. "I'm sure that's not true at all. Someone loved you enough to bring you here and buy a nice beach outfit for you. And they made sure you put on a hat to protect yourself from the sun. Am I right?"

The child stared at him, deciding whether or not these actions were truly good enough to make him go back to whoever his guardian was. _Stubborn thing_, Fuuma thought to himself with a smile. _And you really think you can do everything alone, do you?_

"Oba-san," the child said finally, pointing off to some area in the distance.

"And did she set up a towel or a picnic somewhere?"

"By the water."

"Can you take me there? She must be terrified that something happened to you." He extended his hand again. "You're too young to be out on your own, all right? You still need someone to look after you."

"Do not!" The child kicked a bit of sand at Fuuma's leg in punishment, but still pulled the man forward to where his aunt was waiting.

The woman, a young and sleek twenty-something, looked overjoyed upon her nephew's return. "Kamui," she cried out, sweeping him up into her arms and pressing him against her chest. "Please don't run off again. I would never forgive myself if you were lost." She turned to Fuuma. "Thank you, sir, for helping him find his way back." She stuck out her hand and introduced herself as Tokiko Magami, Kamui's aunt.

_So it is him after all_, Fuuma thought, though he hadn't had much doubt. _How cute_. He wondered how his Kamui would feel if he referenced how tiny he had been when he was little when they next met. And if Kamui looked so much like a little, though a bit grumpy, angel, Fuuma could only imagine how miniature Subaru would be. He hoped Seishirou never encountered one, for his own good.

Magami-san set Kamui back on the ground and invited Fuuma to eat some of their picnic as thanks. Fuuma had planned on getting a head start on his task so he could touch base with Yuuko as soon as he was finished, but he didn't see how it could hurt spending a little time with Kamui, even though this one was not his. He had missed out on his being a child and a less jaded innocent, and it wasn't even likely that his Kamui would open up to him any time soon, even though Subaru had called Fuuma his important person. He wanted to know Kamui more, to figure out what he could bring to his life, to map out the best route to an ending where Kamui would weaken in his arms but not run away after. _I want to know it all, I want to know everything_. And what Fuuma wanted, he usually found a way to have.

Kamui started building what he called a 'sand puppy' with his bucket and shovel while Fuuma and his aunt shared a lemonade and talked about the weather. As the creation reached nearer to completion, he began to laugh and clap his hands in delight. It wasn't half bad, Fuuma noted. A few of the nearby children were beginning to take notice and build their own animals and houses in the sand beside Kamui.

One of them was another dark haired child, this one about a head taller than the young Kamui. Fuuma sipped his lemonade calmly. _Well, well, well, _he thought. _It seems Kamui can't escape me as well as he thought. And it seems I was not so wrong in thinking him to be my soulmate, huh?_

The younger version of Fuuma, without asking, began to work with Kamui on his puppy, adding a collar made of seaweed and spots made out of nearby white stones. The two boys didn't speak, but worked diligently together, passing the shovel and bucket back and forth between each other as if they knew exactly when the other needed it even without words.

"Looks like he's making a friend," Magami-san said with a relieved sigh. "I was getting a bit worried. He's so troubled for a child, and always keeping to himself. It got even harder when we moved away, but I just couldn't stay in the place where my sister had died for any longer."

"It must have been hard for him."

"It was. He was attached to his mother, but it goes deeper than that. He's always thought too much, much more than he's ever spoken, and he looks so burdened for someone so young. As if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders." She looked down at him with a sad smile. "But he's always reaching his hand out to those weaker than him. Stray kittens and bullied children at playgrounds... he's a compassionate soul, but I worry what will happen if he keeps on putting everything else before himself."

The two watched as Kamui rose to his feet to retrieve more of the damp sand by the shoreline in his bucket. He pitched forwards a little as he lost his footing in the sand, but the young Fuuma caught him by his shirt and held on, finally saying the first words shared between the two: _don't worry, I've got you._

Fuuma nodded with the smile at his younger self, although the other him was occupied in leading Kamui to the water, just to make sure he was okay. He understood those words, and was glad that they were the ones this Kamui would be the first to hear from him. It was how he had felt when he'd managed to get Kamui in his arms in Tokyo, although that act had been less mutual than this. _I have you right here, so forget about your brother and whatever duties you think you have in these worlds you travel, because it's over now. You don't have to be afraid or run anymore, because I love you, and you are mine._

But it would be easier for this manifestation to make his Kamui understand. They would have an early history together, Fuuma guessed. He would still feel the pull to protect the strong and yet fragile figure that was Kamui, and even if Kamui's stubbornness reared its head, he was still young enough to trust in his Fuuma and allow himself to be spoiled by the person who knew him best. And he would become that person, Fuuma knew. Even though they were both still young, the magnetism between them was there, and would only grow as time went on.

But it would be different for him and the Kamui he had chosen. They had grown up separate and stumbled into each other only due to a chain of events Seishirou himself had set off by finding a vampire coven and nearly getting himself killed by them, but that was the way that fate worked. They were meant to find one another and to feel the attraction that existed between them because Kamui was Kamui and Fuuma was Fuuma. They were made to complete the part the other was missing. Fuuma would be Kamui's support, the person to make him realize the side of himself that wanted to be treasured rather than sacrificial, and Kamui would be the answer to Fuuma's endless search for something that felt right and was his, something that he did not have to share with Seishirou or give away as payment at the end of a mission. So many things in life were temporary, but the pressing feeling inside of him to find his treasure and claim it seemed as if it would never fade.

Fuuma rose to his feet and bowed to Magami-san. "Thank you for the meal, but I have somewhere I have to be now. But you take care of your nephew, and make sure he hangs on to his new friend, all right?"

"Of course," she said, packing up her basket. "Kamui, come over here and thank the nice man who found you."

Kamui dutifully bowed to Fuuma and wrapped his arms around his leg. "Do you really have to go, oji-san?"

"Oji-san? I'm not that old, am I?" He ruffled Kamui's hair again with a smile. "Don't worry. Give it a few years, and you'll see this face, even if you don't still remember it. And you let your friend over there take good care of you, all right?"

"I don't need someone to take care of me," Kamui insisted, his face morphing into a pout again.

"Maybe not," Fuuma agreed. "But you do need someone who thinks of you as most important. Life would be a little sad without that, wouldn't it?"

With a wink, he eased Kamui off his leg and padded through the sand. He wanted to finish as soon as possible: the mission in this country, the meeting with Yuuko, the possibility of catching up with Seishirou, and anything that stood in the way of the task that had suddenly become more important. He now understood what had driven Seishirou to offer up his eye in exchange for the power to see Subaru again. Now that he had found the person he wanted to know and spend the rest of his days slowly discovering, nothing else mattered half as much. The universe had endless places for him to go and find treasures to sell or use in contracts, but there was only one place his personal treasure was hiding, and that was the place he most wanted to go and at last find a way to make sure it never escaped his grasp again.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Next Up**: Seishirou


	6. Seishirou

**A/N: **With Fuuma, Kamui, Subaru, and Seishirou as several of my main characters, of course one of them would have to travel to the universe of X! I'm working on the assumption that Tokyo was saved from the end of the world by some means or another (as in the X anime series, since we don't know the ending to the manga) and that Subaru also survived its conclusion. Since Yuuko references Subaru Sumeragi in xxxHolic, I'm also assuming that she lives in the same world as he does, although it is possible that she was talking about an alternate dimension version of him (one with the same supernatural powers?). It would have fun to do Tokyo Babylon Subaru since he's such a cutie, but meeting with post-X Subaru carries a little more weight, I think. Hope you enjoy!

**Spoilers/Timeline: **Spoilers for Tokyo, naturally, and slight for Nihon. Most of the spoilers are for X in regards to what happens to Seishirou and Subaru in the story. Timeline is directly after Nihon.

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**Seishirou**

Seishirou was more than a little bit annoyed by time he was finally able to leave Nihon. The incident had marked the second occasion he had encountered Syaoran's group of dimension travelers, and around the sixth time he'd managed to run into his brother, and though both Fuuma and Fai had admitted to running into the vampire twins in Tokyo, he himself had not yet had even a slightly good lead since he had suspected Subaru of being an oni in Outo. Time was beginning to run out. His eye had enough magic to last him perhaps a few more transitions, but if he misjudged Subaru's path just a few more times, it would soon become useless. And already his prey was at risk for giving himself away to someone else in the way he had done to Seishirou. He'd almost shed his precious blood for Fai, and even with Kurogane's blood mixed in to mark him as Fai's true game, Seishirou would have never allowed the mage to live with even a drop of his Subaru inside of him. What was his could not be permitted to stray into the possession of someone else. Fai was lucky that Fuuma took a gentler view to these things, because Seishirou most certainly didn't.

At least he now had Fuuma joining in on the chase to get his hands on Kamui, even though there was only so much a laid back guy like him could do. His brother had at first been wary of getting himself involved in issues that had nothing to do with him, but now that he did have a reason to invest himself, it would be beneficial to Seishirou to use Fuuma to get Kamui and all of his damned interfering away from Subaru. He'd even consider letting the other vampire live if his brother did a fair enough job of ensnaring his mind to the point where he wouldn't even be able to think of 'saving' Subaru from Seishirou's clutches.

_How ridiculous_, Seishirou thought with a smirk. _Nothing can save him from me. I'll dismantle the world itself to find him if I have to._

When he called upon the magic in his eye after saying his farewells to his brother, he listened, as he always did, to the whispers of each world. There were so many voices that one could not be distinguished from another, but he knew which tone he was looking for, each delicate note that trembled and whispered and begged to be found. He heard it everywhere, and it filled inside him. It was difficult to follow the exact point where it originated as it seemed to shift from world to world and sometimes came from two different places simultaneously, though some of the voices were not quite the one he remembered. But it was there, and if it existed, it could be hunted by him. As long as Subaru lived, there would be a way to follow the thread that connected them and at last claim his prize.

Seishirou allowed himself to be pulled by the most familiar of the voices, but just as he was about to be consumed by his magic, he heard a louder voice call out to him, "Please, find your way through me!" It was not the voice of his Subaru, but he turned towards it, changing the focus of the power in his eye. There was something unrelenting in the voice speaking those words, whoever it belonged to. Seishirou didn't generally trust in anyone other than himself and his own desires, but the one who had addressed him spoke so desperately and with such sureness that he believed without a second thought that the person calling to him could help him along the way he needed to go.

He traveled through the blur of voices whispering their wants to him, and when the colors and worlds stabilized around him, he found himself standing in the midst of a long stretch of sakura trees. The pink petals were in full bloom, although it felt too humid and damp for anyone to be out viewing them. He took a step forward, running his fingers along the bark of trees and watching as some of the flowers dropped from the branches and landed on his shoulders. Something about this place felt familiar, as if he had been here before. He had been so many places in his travels that it was a likely possibility, but this place seemed nostalgic, as if something important had once happened to him here. He wondered if this was perhaps the place where the Dimension Witch lived.

Seishirou wandered to the biggest tree in the park and pressed both of his hands against it. _There must be someone buried underneath it for the petals to be that exact shade, _he noted. _Blood has a way of making everything beautiful. And there is nothing more beautiful in the world than tasting his blood. So let's figure out the reason you brought me here, yes, Subaru-kun?_

Seishirou heard something suddenly clatter to the ground behind him. He turned his head, catching a glimpse of a beautiful man with short hair and multi-colored eyes, one green and one golden brown, staring at him with a disbelieving expression, his mouth hanging open in shock. Every fiber of him seemed to be shaken, and both his arms and legs were trembling, a bento box resting on the wet grass beneath his slack fingers. He looked for a moment as if he was trying to speak, but no sound came out other than short little gasps for air.

Seishirou smiled. Now here was a step closer. This man was too old and exhausted in appearance to be the one he was looking for, but it _was_ him, in a way. The soul in front of him knew his soul, and was moved to silence at the sight of the familiar body possessing it. The two of them had never met, but they knew each other, perhaps even better than they realized.

"Good morning," Seishirou said, his smile widening, "Subaru-kun."

"Seishirou-san," Subaru whispered, and his legs gave out slowly beneath him, sending him on his knees to the ground as his shoulders shook and silent tears streamed beautifully down his pale face.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

When he'd composed himself, Subaru took Seishirou back to his apartment in the city. He wasn't capable of saying much, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Seishirou's face, in particular the one eye that was blank due to his contract with Yuuko. His hand kept on straying back to his own golden eye, treating the skin tenderly, like his own personal treasure.

"Is that mine, Subaru-kun?" Seishirou asked as Subaru pulled up a chair for him and began preparing tea.

"Yes. It was the second eye you sacrificed for me. My final gift from you." His hands were shaking again, so he set the tea pot down and clenched a fist over his heart. "I've known Yuuko-san for a long time. We both share a strong magic, so it was inevitable that I would meet her. I knew she occasionally helped people cross the dimensions, and that it was possible for them to encounter familiar souls in different places, but she never told me... she never told me that she had helped you."

"Does it bother you?"

Subaru shook his head. "I wanted to see you again. More than anything. I held onto everything you ever touched, I accepted your eye and former life, I did everything possible to be worthy of the time you had given to me, but I couldn't be strong. I could think only of you. And even though I can't bring the one I loved back, just the sight of your face makes me feel so happy. Your eye is not the only thing that survived. Your soul, the most important thing, is still here."

"You don't have to be sorry you lived that way, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, grabbing the pack of cigarettes on the table. "If I sacrificed myself for you, I wouldn't do it to set you free. The only thing you should do is think of me, for the rest of your life. Whether it be in life or death, you belong only to me."

"It's all right, then?" Subaru abandoned his tea and joined Seishirou at the table. "But sometimes... I can't help myself. I feel angry with you. You denied me the wish most dear to me, and took away the person who was also most dear. This is the only thing I have left." He placed his hand over his golden eye, bowing his head. "I should hate you for everything you took away. But I can't. I can't even complete a single bad thought about you. I fear dying and losing the last part of you still with me, but I fear living and never being able to rejoin you. And I wish more than anything now that we had taken the way where we could be together so I did not have to go through every day just thinking of you without ever seeing your face or hearing your voice in the way I last heard it."

"But this is good, Subaru-kun. A life where you are perfectly trapped by me is exactly what I want. The more you struggle and can't find a way out, the better it is." Seishirou pulled out a cigarette and waited for Subaru to light it for him. "Tell me, would it make you much happier for me to be here with you? I wouldn't go easy on you, even as cute as you are. Your every thought and action would be mine to control, and that lovely body of yours would dangle off the edge of what it could stand. And those tears you shed, every drop that comes from your body, will be because of me, for only me to see. I would trap you to an even greater extent than how you are trapped now."

"I think it's kinder," Subaru said, gazing into Seishirou's face. "Kinder then being trapped and left alone. Kinder then becoming only yours, but never being able to be held by you."

"I see." Seishirou blew a puff of smoke into the air in front of Subaru. "Well, that's how it is. I'm not very kind, am I?"

"You are more so than you think. It was your wish that returned this eye to me, not mine. But then again, the last words you left to me... I wonder if you knew how hard it would be for me to receive the love I always wanted at the cost of your life."

"Subaru-kun, if I understood your every secret, there would be no interest in it for me. A soul like mine hungers for the intermingled innocence and lust in yours, but I wasn't meant to understand. Only to taste."

He set the cigarette in the ash tray and let it burn. The self that had lived in this world had really done a number on Subaru, but he wasn't sure how he felt about the result. Subaru was undeniably living only with Seishirou in mind and seemed incapable of hating him even after all the trauma he'd undergone, but Seishirou didn't enjoy the thought of his treasure being abandoned, left untouched and burdened on his own without Seishirou's soul there to torture him with pleasure, to deny and push him past his restraints until the glory of his crying, desperate face was exposed, his mouth moving only to form Seishirou's name and cry for more of what had been given.

"Why are you traveling?" Subaru asked, picking up Seishirou's cigarette and settling it between his lips. "Passing through the dimensions is something that carries a heavy price. Your reason for sacrificing your eye must have been very important."

"You are," Seishirou agreed, watching for Subaru's reaction. "If I can get my hands on the you who was born for me, it will be well worth any eye, any price. Don't you agree, Subaru-kun?"

Subaru looked surprised, but nodded once he realized Seishirou was being serious. "But that you would have to pay a price at all seems odd. If you give me enough time to get used to the idea, it must be my fate to fall in love with you over and over again in every place our souls exist."

"You have a bothersome creature at your side who has no intention of letting you give in to me. Your twin."

Subaru dropped his cigarette, looking suddenly terrified. "H-Hokuto?"

"Kamui."

"_Kamui_? In your world, I am his brother?"

"Do you know him?"

"I knew him, yes. We fought together once, some time ago. But our families were not in any way connected. His parents and aunt had died, and I only had my grandmother left. My twin was a sister, and she... allowed herself to be killed as your prey in my stead."

"Kamui might have met the same fate, but I'm sure my brother will intervene."

"You have a brother?" Subaru rubbed his forehead. "I see the rules of these dimensions are more complex than I thought. Families can be fluid, but the chosen of the soul cannot. Is your brother perhaps Fuuma-kun?"

"Yes."

"Then he still cares for Kamui, but Kamui is occupied in keeping you away from me. I see where the dilemma comes from. But it will lead to unhappiness for both Kamui and I if we cannot be together with the people most important to us. And after losing you in this world, it was always my wish that Kamui would not have to forsake his chance of being with Fuuma as I had mine with you."

"So you would place his happiness ahead of your own?"

"I wish I could say yes, but more than anything it would give me joy for the me that is dear to you to find you again. I have lost you here, but I wish happiness upon my soul wherever it exists, and I can only be truly happy when you are at my side. The soul that has chosen you must be crying out for you even now."

"And how sweetly it cries," Seishirou agreed. "But yours did as well. It was what brought me here."

"Even though I know better, there has never been a day when I haven't prayed to somehow be with you again, Seishirou-san."

"I don't question that, but what you asked was not to see me again. What you said was _please, find your way through me_. I assume you have an idea of what that means, Subaru-kun."

Subaru stared down into the ash tray, lost in his thoughts. "There is most likely a way," he said slowly. "Yuuko-san has an awareness of the dimensions, and if someone has a wish to find a person exactly where they are in them, she can grant it at the proper price. But it would be a heavy price for you. You would have to pay with your memories or your time, and I will not allow you to give up either for the sake of my other body. But it is also my wish to see you and the other me happy. I will pay the price for you."

"Would it be vain of me to assume that your most precious things are that eye and your memories?"

"Of course. They are the only things I have left of you."

"Then you can't expect me to let you have them taken away, Subaru-kun. For as long as you are alive, you are meant to never forget about me. Do not erase my sacrifice here for the sake of someone you are, but have never met. I won't hate you for being selfish."

"But I—"

Subaru's phone suddenly buzzed, and after hesitating for the first two vibrations, he at last picked it up. "Yes?"

"Ah, Subaru, it's been some time since we've been able to speak," Seishirou could hear the female voice crackling from the phone saying. "But it is your guest I have business with."

"Yuuko-san, how did you... wait, I have no reason to be surprised. You probably knew from the moment he landed here." Subaru passed the phone to Seishirou. "Yuuko-san wants a word."

Seishirou cradled the phone to his ear. "How nice to talk to you again, Yuuko-san," he said kindly, deciding it would be best to tread lightly around the person who could potentially grant him his wish. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Your brother has just left my shop, and his next task will bring him to the place where the children you have been searching for are. The time has come for the wish the child paid for to be put into place. If you do not leave to reach them soon, the chance will have passed and will not come again."

"Cryptic as always, Yuuko-san. Can you perhaps tell me what you're trying to say?"

She sighed a long suffering sigh, and launched into one of her only slightly less cryptic speeches. "It is no simple thing to make a wish on someone else's behalf. The other person may have a wish buried in their heart that conflicts with the one made for them, and intentions can be easily misunderstood between two people. Kamui knew of these things when he made it so Subaru would travel at his side on their journey, but chose to wish for it to keep his brother safe. But Subaru had his own wish from the very start of the journeys, and he shared it with me when the distance between the two of you grew too much for him to bear, using his powers to speak to me in a dream. He sacrificed something very dear to him to make it so that you would be able to find the world where he is."

"Not something too serious, I hope."

"It is something of great seriousness to Subaru. Didn't you ever wonder why it was so easy for Fuuma to find Kamui when you were never able to find Subaru? It was fate for those two to meet, but it would not have happened at that exact moment and place if Subaru had not paid the price for it to happen. The thing he sacrificed so you would be able to know his location was his brother."

Seishirou paused, trying to process this. "So... you're going to kill Kamui?"

Yuuko sighed again in annoyance. "There is more than one way to lose something. There was never going to be an easy way for him to have you without Kamui killing you, or keep Kamui without you killing him. He knew this was the inevitable resolution, so he had to decide which one of you he needed most to remain at his side. By choosing you, he paid to make it impossible for himself to remain with Kamui after you found him. And the manifestation of that price is Fuuma."

"And that's why Fuuma landed in Tokyo?"

"Yes. He was destined to find his way there because of Subaru's wish, so that he would change the course of Kamui's life. Fuuma is the only person capable of keeping Kamui from killing you, but he will not be able to do so forever. He will have to take Kamui away with him, and you who are losing your powers to travel will stay with Subaru. That is, of course, if you children follow the dream your hearts yearn for. Fuuma will be encountering Kamui soon, and that child fears the direction of his future so much that he will flee before much can be done. You must reach that place before he can take Subaru with him and make the wish one that was made in vain."

"I see." Seishirou glanced over at Subaru, who smiled slightly in response. "Then tell me where he is."

"Remember the name well, for if you choose wrongly, you will have no other chances. This will be the last use of the powers in the eye I gave you. Subaru and Kamui are in the country of Jade. Be certain that this place is where you wish to go, for when you arrive there, you will not be able to leave until I receive further payment. I can tell you of it, if you wish. Your student has been there once before."

"No need. If I can have what I wish, the land and world mean nothing to me. Farewell, Yuuko-san. I do not think I will need to speak with you again."

"As you say."

Seishirou shut the phone and passed it back to Subaru. "Well, Subaru-kun, it seems I have somewhere to be. You will forgive me for leaving, I hope."

"If you manage to make this soul happy, I will forgive you anything. I always have." He rose from his seat. "It is also my wish for you to reach that place. So allow me to assist you. With the magic of both the Sumeragi and the Sakurazuka clans with you, you will not be able to go astray."

"Sakurazuka?" Seishirou murmured. "Was that my name?"

"Yes. Seishirou Sakurazuka."

"And now it belongs to you. How cute. Subaru-kun and I were one." With a smile, he extended his hand, calling upon the last of his magic. "I will accept what you offer."

As the symbol appeared around his feet, Subaru began chanting with great concentration, repeating the same phrase over and over until a ring of pentacles enveloped Seishirou's magic. When the circle was completed, he dropped his hands and at last granted Seishirou with a full and true smile.

"Please," he said, gazing into Seishirou's eyes until they could no longer be seen. "Please, find your way through me. Again, please give me happiness."

0o0o0o0o0o0

**Next Up: **Subaru and Seishirou


	7. Subaru and Seishirou

**A/N: **Alright, with this chapter the M rating is officially in effect. Our semes are ready to pounce, so the sexuality and language will be accordingly influenced. If you are underage and still insist on reading, just don't get caught or convince your parents to hunt me down for posting corrupting naughty stuff on the web. As for now, please enjoy the reunion of Subaru and Seishirou and the conclusion to their part in this little tale. Thank you to those who have been reading and reviewing, I appreciate the support and feedback!

**Spoilers/Timeline: **Timeline is after Nihon, there are no spoilers for anything the previous chapters haven't already discussed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Subaru and Seishirou**

Subaru warmed his hands in front of the fire in the tavern, watching the snowflakes falling on the other side of the foggy window. Already he was beginning to adjust to the cold and enjoy the foreign atmosphere of this new country, Jade, but Kamui had been on edge from the moment they arrived, most likely since the people who lived here hadn't been bothered by their abrupt appearance in the town square after falling from the sky. It turned out that Syaoran's group had been the ones to pass through here in the past, but Kamui was convinced, due to Fuuma's appearance in Tokyo and Seishirou's in Outo around the same time as Syaoran's, that the worlds that had been traveled frequently by the others needed to be avoided. He had been all for leaving right away up until the point where Subaru faked a cold and insisted he needed rest before moving again.

So they'd ended up lodging in the local tavern while Subaru 'recuperated' in a nice warm bed, leaving Kamui to fight through the cold and earn them money in part-time employment at the tavern's stable. Although Subaru felt guilty over this, he knew if he didn't act out his convalescence convincingly, Kamui would drag them away and finish off the last chance they had. Most days were boring as he laid in his bed and watched the snow whipping through the wind, but Kamui at least let him down to eat in the barroom on quiet evenings like this so he could stretch his legs and benefit from the variation in scenery.

While Subaru gazed longingly outside the window, Kamui returned to their table armed with a steaming bowl of soup and a cup of herbal tea. "Are you keeping warm, Subaru?" he asked, reaching out to test the temperature of his brother's forehead. "The barkeep says this is one of the longest and coldest winters they've had, and they don't seem to have any technology to make their houses warmer."

"I'm perfectly comfortable," Subaru said, nodding to the wool blanket Kamui had forced him to bring down from their room. "In fact, I'm a little bit hot."

"Really? Just looking outside the window gives me chills. Here." He lifted the spoon and attempted to ladle it into Subaru's mouth.

"I can do that myself, Kamui." Subaru retrieved the spoon, frowning. "What about you? You haven't looked well since we left Tokyo."

"How can I? That guy could show up again, and..." He trailed off, looking pained.

"Do you mean Fuuma?" Subaru reached across the table to grab Kamui's hand. "Is it really such a bad thing that you like him?"

"I don't! Not at all! Who could possibly like someone like him? You'd have to be... _sick_."

Subaru's fists clenched. "But why? Why is it so sick to love someone? Why would we be born to love if we had to spend our lives denying it?" He stared into his soup, tears collecting in his eyes. _I'm tired_, he realized as Kamui stroked his hand and tried to soothe him again. _I don't want to go any further than this. I want to stop here._

From the other side of the window, he suddenly heard a woman scream. The tavern went silent, and a few of the patrons, including Kamui, hurried over to the window to crack it open and see what had happened. Outside, a small crowd had circled around a figure lying in the snow, its face buried and its body completely still.

"Is it a corpse?" a young woman asked, clapping her hand over her mouth. "Was someone murdered?"

"No, look, it's moving!"

Sure enough, the body began to slowly crouch onto its knees, brushing snow from its long green coat as it caught its balance. Subaru's heart rate increased. It wasn't the person he was waiting for, but it was the surest next step to finding him, the beginning of the end.

The man's figure rose the rest of the way to his feet with a groan, his long limbs stretching out their stiffness and more flakes of snow falling from his hair and clothes. An even greater group of people came to gather around him, asking if he had reached them in the same way as their new visitors, and how long he intended to stay. His ears seemed to perk up at Kamui's name, and Subaru could see a few hands pointing him in the direction of the tavern.

Kamui's tea cup slipped from his hands and shattered on the floor. "Subaru," he said in a toneless voice, his hands shaking in either fear or anger. "Let's go."

Subaru stared at him for a moment, sipping his soup. The cooking here wasn't really all that good, he realized, but it didn't really matter. There was something else he was hungry for, something that was soon to reach him if there was any kindness left to his fate. He felt blood pulsing through his veins, waiting, just waiting to be spilled.

"No," he said at length. "Let's stay here."

"Are you crazy? If we wait a second longer, he'll come in here and see us!"

"And isn't that what you want?" Subaru asked. "If that happens, wouldn't it be fine?"

Kamui's eyes widened, but he wasn't able to say anything in response. For the first time Subaru had ever seen, he looked afraid. It was such a strange thing. Kamui showed anger towards those who interfered with him, tenderness towards those he loved, and indifference towards those who did not fall in either category, but never before had he ever shown anyone that he was capable of fear. It was fitting somehow that the threat of Fuuma would be the thing to change him. Subaru understood the reasons why he was afraid, and in many ways he was terrified himself. They would be treading on dangerous ground by trusting in their hearts rather than their better judgment, and there was no promise of a safe landing for either of them.

While Kamui hesitated, Fuuma strolled into the tavern and sought them out at their table near the back. He placed his hand on Kamui's shoulder, and Kamui turned around to gaze up at him, but did not brush him off or extend his nails or do anything other than stare in confusion, as if he had lost track of everything he once did to keep distance or escape the things that chased him.

"Hello there, Kamui," Fuuma said in his usual cheerful voice, smiling with affection down at the man held beneath his hands. "Subaru."

"Y-you sound like it's perfectly natural for you to be here," Kamui said, his voice coming out in an uncertain croak.

"Of course it is! I wanted to find you, after all."

"So you've become that kind of hunter. Just like your brother. I knew it."

"My brother and I have always been the same kind of hunter. _Treasure_ hunters, Kamui. It just so happens that our favorite treasures are cute little vampires that don't like to stay put. But it seems I've got you now." He leaned forward, sliding his arms against Kamui's shoulders until they were draped over his chest and easing his lips closer and closer to Kamui's neck. "So let's be lovers, okay?"

"Subaru, please," Kamui whispered as Fuuma gently kissed the exposed skin beneath his neck cloth. "All of this was for you. Don't make me turn my back now."

Subaru shook his head and reached to press his palm against Kamui's forehead. "You're fine, just like this. And so am I. You can't follow my path forever when you've finally found your own. And I said it from the very beginning: I don't need anyone to look after me."

Subaru pulled away slowly, watching his brother's face crumple into another look he had never seen before, a conflict between unbearable sadness and breathless relief at having been set free of the restrictive burden he had imposed upon himself. All of the patrons seemed to be watching, mesmerized at the beauty of Kamui in this singular moment, but Fuuma gently turned him so he could not be seen, and a large thump on the roof distracted their attention once again from the intimate display in front of them.

"Must be hailing again," the barkeep guessed, looking unconcerned. "Damned winter. Makes one almost think fondly of the rain in spring."

"But what if a tree fell on it?" someone fretted. "The roof will collapse if you don't make sure."

"Nonsense. Not a single bit of sawdust came down when it was hit. It's hail, I tell you, and more of the big stuff will come down soon enough."

Subaru shook his head wordlessly and headed for the door. He knew what it was. There was no way of explaining why or how, but he _knew. _His heart had pounded right along to the thump on the roof, and there was no way of mistaking the exact composition of what he was feeling, only that he had felt it once before, and there was only one person who could draw up that feeling in him.

"Wait, Subaru!" Kamui called after him, belatedly realizing that his brother was making an escape, but Fuuma held fast to him and ordered Subaru to go while he still had time.

The wind was cold outside. Subaru only had the long black cape he had always worn, and on any other day, that would not have been enough to keep him comfortable. But for now, he felt perfectly warm inside. He felt full and alive, a vibrant and vital being whose dying fuse had been relit. He wondered how he had been able to survive so long without this feeling, and how his body could survive its onslaught now after so great an absence. It almost felt like drowning, but he had reason enough to stay afloat, to hold on tightly to something stable in order to meet the sunlight shining on the surface.

Seishirou was standing on the roof, his black robes whipping in the sharp wind like shadows. Gold eye met green, and they stared at each other without interruption, neither moving nor speaking, but simply taking each other in, admiring the full glory of the feast before tearing right through it and eating their fill.

At length, Subaru slowly lifted his pale hand, unfolding his fingers and exposing the naked palm. Seishirou took a step down the roof, landing so gracefully in the snow that his foot barely made an imprint on its surface. His hand reached out and accepted Subaru's, the fingers lacing together and the palms pressing heat into each other. He roughly yanked Subaru forward against his shoulder, exposing his neck and pressing his lips against it.

"Trapped again, Subaru-kun," he murmured before lightly running his mouth against a chosen patch of skin, at last arousing goosebumps on Subaru's flesh.

"You took too long," Subaru breathed back. "Seishirou."

Holding his breath, he agonizingly awaited the moment when Seishirou's slow and torturous movements turned into a sharp bite, tearing open his skin and allowing his blood to flow forth. His heart was pounding and his breathing grew heavy, and when he saw small flecks of red spot the snow at their feet, he almost fainted with the beauty of it, this perfect feeling of being willing prey mastered by his hunter.

Seishirou pulled away too soon, licking the wound closed and languidly cleaning off his lips and teeth of the blood that stained them. He kept Subaru pressed close to his heart, and though Kamui had long made claims that Seishirou could not possibly possess one, he could hear it beating steadily through the fabric, thrumming in time to Subaru's own.

"Too many people can see you," Seishirou whispered into his ear. "Where can we go?"

"We... we have a room," Subaru said, barely able to speak through his sharp intakes of breath.

"Will our brothers be there, Subaru-kun?"

"Oh... um..." If it was up to Kamui, he would probably be rushing out of the tavern this very minute to slaughter Seishirou, so Subaru had to assume that Fuuma had subdued him in some way or another. "It's possible."

"Then I suggest you think of someplace else." Seishirou gave his neck a gentle nibble, though it was not enough to draw blood. "I'm losing patience."

"The... the place where Sakura and the others stayed has been abandoned. We would be squatting if we used it, but—"

"Wrong. We will be _feeding_." He teased the new red mark on Subaru's neck with his tongue. "And _fucking._"

Subaru had to close his eyes and count to ten before he was able to compose himself again. He managed to choke out, "I'll take you there," but it was so incoherent that Seishirou laughed and simply followed his lead.

The lodgings of the former doctor were boarded up, but Seishirou made quick work of the planks and lock before slamming Subaru into the wall and tearing off his neck cloth. "So beautiful," Seishirou murmured, brushing the skin with his fingers. "And who does it belong to?"

"You, Seishirou."

"And I can taste it, right?"

"You don't need to ask. Just take whatever you want."

"Good boy."

Seishirou bit down into the juncture of his neck and shoulders, and Subaru gasped at the sudden burst of both pain and pleasure invading his body. The hunter's mouth worked lustily at the wound, lapping at the blood like a starving man, but somehow still managing to relish each lick, and as he drank, he forced Subaru further into the wall and crushed his fist into his black hair, pulling upwards to further expose Subaru's skin.

When he at last pulled away, he did not bother to close Subaru's wound, but instead allowed the blood to trickle down the skin of his chest. With a smile, he pulled off Subaru's cape and eased him out of his shirt, admiring the vibrant smear against the canvas of his soft white body. "Sexy," he murmured, pressing his lips against the mark. "And I'm going to punish you for denying me this for so long. Will you resist?"

"No." Subaru reached out to cradle Seishirou's face in his hands. "This... this was also what I wanted."

"Silly thing. You should be more coy and protective of yourself." He turned his head and pulled one of Subaru's fingers into his mouth. "I met another you when I traveled. I know the exact way to destroy that dear heart of yours."

"I saw myself, too. And you. I know no matter what, even if you break me, that I won't be able to escape."

"Is it because you won't? Or because you can't?" He tightened his grip around Subaru, lifting an eyebrow.

"Because I won't. My heart has no will to belong without yours."

"Very good indeed. It seems I can trap you perfectly even here. But just because you don't plan on resisting doesn't mean I'm going to be gentle." He swirled his finger through the blood still dripping from Subaru's shoulder and licked it away slowly. "Because I learned something in the time we were apart."

"Yes?"

"There's absolutely nothing cuter in this world then Subaru-kun's crying face. Even more than the blood, you look better bathed in your tears."

With a laugh, he spun Subaru around and pulled him to the ground so he was sitting in his lap. Subaru could feel Seishirou's arousal pressing against his back, rubbing against him insistently. "Do you get it?" he whispered. "How much I've been waiting for this? I'm going to make you _scream_. I'm going to take you until you won't be able to think of anything other than me."

Subaru couldn't tell Seishirou that he was already the only real thought he was capable of anymore. Maybe it _was_ a kind of sickness in a way. He still had a brother, and somewhere their mother still lived in the world they had left her. There were the people they had met in other worlds, the kindly people who had fed and taken care of them, and the troubled figures of Sakura, Kurogane, Fai, and the boy in their midst who was one but two. But all he could think of was Seishirou. His body was already screaming for his, weeping tears of sweat, beating and churning and opening itself only for the hunter pressed against him. Even if his want was selfish and as corrupting as a disease inside of him, he felt so deliriously happy that it barely mattered to him that he had forgotten to care for everything else.

Seishirou's hands found the waist of his pants, and slowly slid them over his hips, stopping as each bit of skin was revealed to tease and torture it with his fingers. "So beautiful," he cooed, his voice thick and cold, but so familiar, so dear. Subaru felt the first of the tears begin to gather. It was good, but too slow. And at the same time, too much. His heart could barely take each caress, but his body wanted more, to dive faster into this new form of pleasure, even if it ended up being painful. He felt like he was dying, even though the sting of his wound had receded and the cool of the air still had yet to return to him. What he was dying of was something more raw, something sweeter.

"Seishirou, I—"

"What, you wish to demand something of me?" Seishirou laughed and slid his hands down Subaru's waist to the strained arousal he'd been ignoring. "Do you really think you're in the position to be greedy?" He gave a swift stroke, then pulled his hands away, waiting.

"Your skin..." Subaru gasped out, the tears finally slipping down his face. "Please."

"You want it so badly you're crying? Perfect. If you want it, how about you get it for yourself?" He guided Subaru's hands to the latch of his robe. "I'm sure you're more than capable of taking care of it with your own hands."

Subaru began to open the clasps, but had only reached the third when Seishirou returned his hands to his throbbing skin and his mouth to close over the salty tears. Subaru's hands fell away as they instinctively gripped into Seishirou's back, and the yards of black cloth remained in place.

"How incompetent, Subaru-kun. Is that how badly you want to feel me against you? You'll never be able to achieve anything like this." But Seishirou didn't hold back on his ministrations, and harshly pushed Subaru onto his back as he worked. "How selfish of you."

"I... I... Seishirou." He bit his lip, feeling his body clenching as Seishirou increased his pace, stealing his powers of speech. It was so close, but not enough. He wanted the cool touch of Seishirou's full body beside his, to see the skin that would come inside his own. Desperately, he extended a nail and tore through the rest of Seishirou's clasps, at last causing the robe to fall partway open.

"Oh, you'll pay for that," Seishirou said, again pulling his hands away. "Ruining the only clothes I have to wear in this place. You really are so very selfish, Subaru-kun."

"But I..." He couldn't think of a way to say that he needed to come and now without sounding pitiful, although he was pretty sure that reducing him to a pitiful, sobbing creature was exactly what Seishirou wanted.

"Want something?"

"Seishirou..." He crept closer, easing Seishirou's robes down his shoulder and pressing their bare skin together, darkening his cold chest with blood. "Please."

"Please...?"

"Please, take me all the way there."

"Just you, you selfish boy?"

"You, too."

"And how would I do that, Subaru-kun?"

"Come inside. Please." A few more tears slipped down his cheeks, which seemed to spur Seishirou back into action.

"Very well. You do beg so _nicely_."

Seishirou began to undo the fastenings of his trousers, and ordered Subaru to sit up a little his lap. Once again, he seemed to be moving much too slowly. Subaru was tremoring so much that he felt seconds away from collapsing, and his body was already in torment from having already been brought so close to completion. By time Seishirou slipped a finger inside of him to prepare him at least a little for what was to come and then at last ordered him to lower himself, Subaru could hardly move himself steadily, and required Seishirou's assistance to complete their joining neatly.

White light exploded behind Subaru's eyes as Seishirou drove into him. He had known it was going to hurt, but he hadn't realized how overwhelming it would feel to be locked firmly with someone else's body with nowhere to run or turn but to the arms of the person who was trapping him. And somewhere in the midst of all that was an undeniable pleasure, a feeling of warmth diffusing through his core, a sensation that he was surprised could be caused by such a frozen body. He whimpered as Seishirou pushed his full length the rest of the way in, driven further into the unsteady mix of emotions without time to prepare.

"Sei...shirou... please... a moment... please."

"What did I say about being selfish? I thought you said I could take whatever I wanted, and I want you to feel me, just like this." He began rocking his hips, and as Subaru released a panicked moan, Seishirou bit down again into the wound he had been drinking from for another taste of the velvet blood of his prey. Subaru shivered and could not hold back the primal noise that came from him at the indescribable feeling of being pleasured and devoured by Seishirou at the same time. It was too much, too good to be tolerated. He felt himself nearly coming again, when Seishirou grabbed him tightly and shook his head.

"I didn't chase you here so you could be satisfied alone," he hissed. "Allow me to get myself up to speed with you." He pulled out and pushed Subaru to his knees to drive his hips harder from behind, dramatically increasing his pace. Subaru drove his claws into the floorboards and tried to quiet the cries rising from his throat without much success.

"How valiant of you, Subaru-kun, but you're fighting a losing battle," Seishirou teased. "We're already breaking all the rules here. Squatting. Feeding. Fucking. Property damage. Assault." He punctuated each word with a thrust and a bite down Subaru's back. "Why not add disturbing the peace to the list? Come on, cry for me."

Subaru obeyed, though he allowed the floor to muffle the worst of his screams. If someone came and witnessed them, it wouldn't be just Kamui trying to keep Seishirou away. Even though the sex was consensual, there was no explaining away the blood unabashedly smeared across their skin.

Just as Subaru decided his body wouldn't be able to take any of it— the pain and the pleasure and everything else— for any longer, Seishirou at last loosened his grip on him and allowed his body to release itself onto his waiting hand. With a few more pumps of his hips, Seishirou, too, choked out a quiet grunt, and something warm spilled inside Subaru's body and down his legs as Seishirou pulled out and rested their two breathless bodies onto the floor.

"Just look at the mess you've become, Subaru-kun," Seishirou chuckled to himself, finally bending over to lick the wound on Subaru's shoulder shut. "I wish there was something here that could take a picture. So you can see the way you look after you've become completely mine."

"Even if I can't see it, I can feel it."

"And how does it suit you?"

"I feel as if you've taken everything, and I'm a shell waiting to be filled by you again." Subaru paused, rethinking his phrasing. "A shell waiting to be filled again when it recovers from the first time, of course."

"You've forgotten something. I haven't taken quite everything yet."

"You haven't?"

"Not at all." His fingers curled around Subaru's jaw, and he moved his face in closer. Before Subaru realized what was happening, their mouths were crushed together and Seishirou's tongue was pushing against his, filling him in a new and different way.

When Seishirou pulled away, Subaru pressed his hands to his lips in amazement. "I didn't think you would ever do that," he admitted, his voice shaking. He was glad Seishirou seemed to have a thing for his crying face, since the tears were staking a claim on his eyes yet again.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"That's something usually reserved as a sign of love."

"Is it really? I wonder, then." He stroked Subaru's face with an unfathomable smile. "You know, I'm not allowed to leave this place now because you would never let me catch you before I used up my powers. And unless you change your mind and choose to follow your brother instead of me, you're going to be staying here, too. If you think of it, you're almost like my bride, Subaru-kun."

"Your... bride...?"

"You ought to take responsibility for what you've done, my beautiful one. As my prey, I expect you to give me your body, but as my bride, well..." He leaned in for another taste of Subaru's lips. "You ought to be a bit loving, too."

"I do love you," Subaru said solemnly. "Forever."

"Very good. Then let's be happy, you and I."

Subaru smiled and rested his head against Seishirou's chest. His body ached, and suddenly the cold had come back through the cracked doorway and his shoulder was throbbing where Seishirou had bitten him, and although he knew it wouldn't be long until the powers in his body gave him reprieve, he felt exhausted to his very core. But never in his life had it felt so good to take in the air, to live and to breathe in the same presence as this cruelly exacting man, his precious and most important Seishirou.

Suddenly, the memory of his other self filled his vision, his hands gripping tightly to the chains of the swing, his smile only forthcoming when Seishirou had kissed away his tears and confessed that Subaru had made him happy. He had looked so oddly contented in that place, but still he had worried that he was taking a wrong step and putting himself into hands that would destroy him or take what little sense of value he had away.

_But it really is okay, _he realized as he held tightly to Seishirou's body, burying into the comfort of his arms. _This is the fate that was meant to be mine. This place he has given me is my home, and I am finally, finally here._

__0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Next Up: **Kamui and Fuuma


	8. Kamui and Fuuma

******A/N: **And here we are at the second to last chapter! Writing these vampires and hunters sections has made me really interested in whether or not CLAMP intends to finish the vampire subplot in another work (I, of course, really hope they do) or if they'll make an appearance in another anime (such as Syaoran, Fai, and Kurogane in Kobato). Whatever the case is, I've had a lot of fun giving them my own ending, and I hope you all continue to enjoy! Thanks to those who have reviewed, favorited, and followed the journey thus far!

**Timeline/Spoilers: **This chapter occurs concurrently with Subaru and Seishirou's, and as with the earlier chapter, there are no spoilers that haven't already been discussed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Kamui and Fuuma.**

Subaru was slowly drifting away from him, the thing he had feared the most over their years of traveling from world to world, and all Kamui could think about were Fuuma's hands.

He couldn't understand why. There was nothing special about them. They were hands like anyone else's hands, perhaps a bit more calloused in some places and stronger in others, but nothing out of the ordinary. When he gazed down at where they wrapped around his waist, he could only think they were rather unrefined, rough and devoid of the delicate lines he preferred.

But it was the way they held him that electrified his nerves and sent his head spinning. Fuuma's grip was loose and his fingers were just barely brushing against Kamui's stomach, but even that light, butterfly touch somehow seemed firm and possessive. Kamui had been able to escape Fuuma's arms several times in the past, but he got the feeling if he tried to run now, he wouldn't make it far. Even worse, he no longer felt the traces of his former drive to flee. Subaru would no longer be denied the right to wish for himself, and there was only so much Kamui could impose on someone who resisted imposition. The cause he had staked himself in had all along been a futile attempt to repress his brother's heart, and rather than protecting Subaru's well-being, he had driven him into feeling lonelier and more withdrawn than he ever had before. There was nothing left to run away from, and nowhere else to run away to.

Even still, when he watched Subaru walk alone to the tavern door, Kamui felt once again the urge to protect him. It wasn't just some stranger heading out into dangerous territory, it was his brother, his twin, the person he'd been closest to for his entire life. Even if it was Subaru's own choice, he wondered if he would ever be able to forgive himself for letting him go. For once, he didn't quite feel strong enough to face the consequences of the decision he had made and the one he was on the verge of making.

"Wait, Subaru!" he called out, extending his hand. He took a step forward, but Fuuma's hands pressed against him with this movement, and he stopped in his tracks, once again frozen by the indescribable need to remain enclosed by them.

"Go," Fuuma said to Subaru. "This may be your last chance." Subaru nodded and opened the door with only a single parting smile to Kamui before he turned his back and chose the path forbidden to him.

"You have no right," Kamui hissed, whirling around to face Fuuma. "What do you know about Subaru or me? This is between us!"

Fuuma smiled, but not without a measure of sympathy. "I won't deny that I have no right, but yours is barely stronger than mine. This is between Seishirou and Subaru. We can interfere as much as we want, but what matters is what the two of them choose for themselves." Fuuma ran his thumb along Kamui's jawline. "What concerns us is what we will choose to do with each other."

"I... have no interest in anything having to do with you."

"And yet it feels so right for us to be together. You can feel it, too, can't you? That's why you're so afraid."

Kamui scoffed, forcing a look of indifference. "I'm not afraid. Whatever you're feeling... it doesn't mean anything. You don't know anything about me."

"Oh? So only the people who know you can come closer? It's no wonder you've only had Subaru at your side. How do you expect me to know you better when you won't even stay still long enough for us to talk?" Fuuma grasped him by the elbow and held him steady. "I want to know you better, Kamui. I want to know every inch and every detail. I want to know what it sounds like when you laugh, what it looks like when you smile, how it feels to touch my skin against yours. I want you to feel only me, want only me, and follow only at my side. Maybe I don't know you. But you feel so familiar to me, as if we were really meant to be together our whole lives and somehow passed each other by on accident."

Kamui blinked. That couldn't be the way it was. He chose for himself, he did as he pleased, and if he said he wasn't interested in this man, then that was the way it would be. Fate had no place trying to control him and forcing him into things he found unappealing. It was simply an accident that his path crossed with Fuuma's, and nothing in the universe would shatter if they separated themselves again.

_Don't be self-righteous, _something within him chided. _You feel it, too. You wouldn't allow just anything to pull you away from Subaru's side, so don't dismiss the force altering your heart. Remember the way you felt watching him holding you, and the way you feel now. Why would it be there, if it was not meant to happen?_

Fuuma sighed and shrugged his broad shoulders melodramatically. "Even if you puzzle it through, you won't get it using your head alone. Here, allow me."

He approached Kamui slowly, curling a finger under his chin to lift it upwards. Kamui knew without question that this was the last moment he would have to back away and retrieve Subaru and set everything back on the course he'd originally intended. He knew this, but he couldn't move or remember properly the distant heart he'd coached himself into possessing to stay strong for his brother and evade that which hunted them. His defenses were beginning to fracture, and what rested beneath them wasn't ruthless enough to repair what had been broken in time to stop the line from being crossed.

While Kamui remained frozen, Fuuma leaned in and pressed their mouths together, taking Kamui's lower lip between his and sucking it gently. Before Kamui could even process how he felt or whether or not he wanted the kiss to continue, Fuuma had captured him wholly, taking advantage of his slightly parted lips to urge them the rest of the way open with his tongue, which pushed its way through and fitted smoothly against Kamui's. Kamui made a noise of bewilderment into Fuuma's mouth, but it was muffled and muted enough to translate into a moan. Fuuma seemed to note the encouragement, and wrapped an arm around Kamui's waist and pushed his other hand into his hair to lessen the distance between them.

Kamui lost track of how long the kiss lasted. Eventually, he stopped worrying entirely over the total ridiculousness of what was happening and which method he would use to kill Fuuma when it finally ended. It was must less exhausting to close his eyes and enjoy the tender and desirous touch of this person who did not know him but seemed to understand the person he had long ago buried in his soul. Perhaps it was, as Subaru was always saying, perfectly fine to love like this. Perhaps it was fine to be wanted rather than needed, to be a captured treasure rather than a bird in aimless flight for the sake of someone who wished only for clipped wings.

When Fuuma at last pulled away, Kamui came back to himself for long enough to realize that the entirety of the tavern was staring at them, open mouthed. A flush rose to his cheeks, but Fuuma looked decidedly unabashed.

"If that was our first kiss, I can't wait to see what our next one is like," he said cheerily, taking Kamui's hand. "We'll take care of it in private from now on, so you all can go back to what you were doing."

He pulled Kamui along with him up the stairs and to the second floor where guests lodged. "Which one is yours?" he asked.

"Second."

"Left or right?"

Kamui stared blankly at the doors. He and Subaru had been here for quite some time, but for some reason he couldn't remember which was their room. His brain felt like it was no longer connected to him, as if it had factored itself out and turned him into a body acting solely on basic instinct.

"The one missing a blanket on one of the beds," he said, vaguely remembering how he had ordered Subaru to take it down with him. Why had he done that? Subaru hadn't been sick. And neither was he. There was nothing wrong in this feeling, and nothing wrong even in the weakness overwhelming his body. Ignoring himself for others was what he had willingly chosen to do, and it would always be a part of him. But for now, it felt too exhausting to carry on, and all he wanted to do was open up the other part of himself that he had forgotten existed after constant lifetimes of fighting it down.

Fuuma at last found the right bedroom and sat Kamui down on the bed. To Kamui's surprise, instead of joining him, he took a seat on Subaru's bed and folded his arms across his chest as he gazed into Kamui's eyes.

"Tell me," he said. "I want to know how it started."

"What do you mean?" Kamui asked. "What do you want me to say?"

"You knew me before Tokyo, didn't you? Or at least my soul, right? That was why you acted the way you did."

Kamui bit his lip. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about, especially not with Fuuma himself. "It was inevitable I would run into you," he said finally. "Subaru and I have been traveling for years. We went to many places and saw many people. We saw Seishirou and ourselves and even the people from our homeworld. You were only one of the many faces we saw."

"But the way you reacted to me was different. In the place we were, we were together, weren't we?"

Kamui sighed, but gave in and nodded.

"For our whole lives?"

"If not that, then for quite awhile."

Fuuma slapped his hand on his forehead and smiled sheepishly. "It's so stupid of me, but I can't help it. I get jealous. If I had been born in the same place as you, we could have grown up together and you wouldn't have a reason to be afraid of me. I act like this, but I'm really worried that I missed the chance I had to make it right. Even if I do this, will it be enough to make you want to come with me?"

Kamui picked up the pillow on his bed and chucked it at Fuuma's face, knocking off his glasses. "Are you an idiot? If every one of us was born with our soulmates ready and waiting for us as children, what would be the point of the different dimensions? The same story would play out over and over again, and our souls would never know a unique experience. You won't know me if you compare me to the me you met. It's not the same. I lived another life, and took a different path to get here. And besides, I'm not afraid of _you_. You try being totally happy after ending up somewhere you never meant to go."

Fuuma smiled and returned his glasses to his face, setting the pillow aside. "Soulmates, huh? I like that answer. We were destined to meet, and even though it's later in our lives, we still have the time to build our own story for our souls. That is, if you'll let me."

He stood up from Subaru's bed and sat down beside Kamui. "I'm glad you really aren't afraid of me. But I wish you wouldn't fear changing your course so much either. There isn't anything wrong in going someplace unexpected. Hasn't traveling so long taught you that?"

"It didn't matter so much, as long as I had my mission in mind. As long as I could keep Subaru safe, it didn't matter where we went."

"Then please let me be the person to give you a new mission to follow." Fuuma bent down to treat Kamui to another kiss. "Loving me. Being loved by me. Being happy together, and wishing only for each other. Wouldn't that be nice, too?"

"I don't know," Kamui admitted. "I never wanted to be caught up in what Subaru saw in Seishirou. I don't want to lose myself."

"Ah. You know, I don't think your brother lost himself at all. He just found out that what he considers happiness is different from how your average person feels, just as Seishirou's idea of it differs. And mine." He placed his hands on Kamui's shoulders, easing him down on the bed. "Why else would I feel so drawn to a little wildcat who will probably end up scratching me with his claws?"

"Oh, as if you're so much better yourself," Kamui snapped, turning his head away in case Fuuma got it in his head to kiss him again. "Always smiling as if everything's a joke to you and touching people without their permission."

"Without their permission, huh? So how about it, Kamui?" Fuuma's teeth found his ear and gave it a little nip. "Can I touch you?"

"I thought you said you wanted to get to know me better. What does this have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything. There is so much you can learn about a person just by holding them. Here." He rolled Kamui over onto his stomach so they were no longer facing each other. "Let me get you used to it. If you're embarrassed, you don't have to look at me."

Kamui was about to protest again, but Fuuma's hand found his shoulders and began to massage them. It felt soothing and relatively innocent, so he kept quiet and decided to wait and see what Fuuma had in mind. His hands felt excellent, strong and conscientious as they followed the shape of Kamui's muscles and relaxed them. Kamui closed his eyes and exhaled into the sheets where his pillow should have been.

"You carry too many burdens on your own," Fuuma whispered, loosening Kamui's neck cloth and sliding his cloak to the floor so there were fewer layers of fabric between them. "Would it be too much for me to ask you to share them with me, now? It would make me so happy if you trusted me and let yourself be a bit selfish when we're together."

"And you? If you make it all about me, won't it be exactly like what I did to Subaru?"

"Not at all. I consider myself quite selfish, Kamui. After all, I managed to catch you here in my arms, even though I knew you didn't want to end up here. And like my brother, I fully intend to have you lost in me, so I can monopolize you to my heart's content and never have you touched by anyone else. That's my idea of happiness." His hands paused on Kamui's back. "Can I take off your shirt? It will feel better for you if I can touch your skin."

Kamui grumbled, but did not refute him.

Once relieved of his shirt, Fuuma's hands resumed their gentle movements. He was right; it did feel a whole lot better to have their skin touching, to feel the pads of his fingers kneading against him. The remains of his wariness slipped away, and his body stirred slightly at the warmth of the feeling. It was comforting and sweet, but not too much for him to handle.

As he relaxed further, Fuuma replaced his hands on Kamui's skin with his mouth. Kamui started at first as the back of neck received a kiss and then a short lick, but Fuuma's actions were so slow and gentle that it almost felt as natural and innocent as his former touch. He held back his protest, and allowed Fuuma to mark trails down his body, from the skin of his neck down his arms and back. When Fuuma's lips reached the small of his back and his hands fumbled for the waist of his pants, Kamui couldn't remember a reason why he would have ever complained. He had wondered about this from the moment he had watched his other self locked in Fuuma's embrace, and had secretly desired the knowledge of how it felt. He had wanted it then, and he wanted it still, he realized. If he wasn't strong enough to allow himself a chance at happiness now, he didn't think he ever would be.

"See?" Fuuma whispered huskily into his ear. "I'm learning about you. You were uncertain at first as to whether we should be doing this, but you're submitting slowly. You want to be happy. You want me to make you happy. You're thinking what comes next might be what you're looking for. And..."

"And...?"

"When I touch you, you get softer. You're still yourself, but you let go of yourself a little. It's beautiful. I'm glad I'm the only one who has seen it."

Slowly, he hitched Kamui's hips upwards and pressed his lips against his entrance. "Can I, please?" he asked as Kamui trembled in surprise. "I promise I won't hurt you."

"How can you promise that?" Kamui whispered. "Everyone knows it hurts."

"But I won't. I'll take it just as slowly as you need me to go."

Keeping one hand rubbing comfortingly down Kamui's back, he licked the rosy skin gently, providing the moisture needed to smooth the tenderness of where they would join together. Kamui heard himself making a strange noise, and clapped his hands over his mouth.

Fuuma chuckled. "It's okay, Kamui. I'm feeling good, too. And it will make me feel even better if I can hear your voice."

This time, he eased a finger in and slowly stroked inside, only adding another and then another when Kamui relinquished permission. "I'll wait until all you feel is pleasure before we go any further," he promised, though Kamui could hear the strain in his voice, the effort he placed into holding himself back. "I'll make you feel good."

_I'm already feeling good, _Kamui thought, too embarrassed to confess to it out loud. _Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he went a little faster. But this is good, too. I don't think I've ever been treasured like this in my life._

"I'm ready," Kamui said finally, turning his head to gaze back at Fuuma. When their eyes met, his breath caught. The look on Fuuma's face was pure want, pure beauty. _Why didn't I want this to happen? Why did I ever run in fear of this?_

"Are you sure?" Fuuma asked.

"Yes. But not like this. I can't reach you like this."

Fuuma lowered his body weight onto Kamui, his arousal brushing enticingly close. Kamui turned his head and joined his lips to Fuuma's for a brief moment. "This is much better."

"I'm not crushing you?"

"I feel fine," Kamui snarled, baring his teeth. "So please go on and be selfish. I plan to."

"Now that's what I like to hear."

With an agonizing slowness, Fuuma slid their bodies together a little bit at a time so Kamui would have ample opportunity to adjust. It stung at first, but Fuuma kept his promise as best as he could. He only progressed when Kamui begged him, and even then, he did so little that Kamui thought he would cry at being denied the movements he wanted.

"This is good," Fuuma murmured, though Kamui could feel him throbbing with more desire than he was displaying. "I always wanted to know what you sounded like when you got like this."

"Bastard. Stop playing around."

"I'm not playing around. I'm treasuring you. And you seem to be enjoying it, too."

There was no denying that. When Fuuma finally began to move in earnest, he found himself slipping further into the glorious chaos battling in his heart. He crushed the sheets within his hands and cried out lowly, forgetting his embarrassment and all the people eating below them. Forgetting Subaru and Seishirou and what he could do to prevent them from being together. All he could feel was Fuuma inside of him and the pounding of his own heart which told him that he was at last following the right path, the path that was meant for him alone to take.

"I love you," Fuuma hissed into his ear, and that was all Kamui needed to hear to release everything inside of him. He collapsed onto his bed, the words ringing in his ears. _I love you, I love you, I love you. What a novel thing. And all of this time, I could have wished for this instead. This is what I should have been searching for._

"Will you come with me?" Fuuma asked, rolling off of him and pressing Kamui's damp face to his chest.

"Where?"

"Everywhere."

Kamui stared at him for a moment. "Are you doing this for Seishirou and Subaru?"

Fuuma snorted. "My brother's an ass. I care about him, but he can take care of himself. It's true that they'll have to stay here, but I'm doing this for us. I want to be with you. But staying still just seems... not like me. And not like you either."

"It's inevitable I'll be hunted. It won't be easy."

"Naturally. And the hunting I do is no easy trip either. But I'll fight for you, you know? And I'd welcome you fighting for me, if you're up to it."

Kamui sighed. "I just have a feeling if I leave, I'll return to find Subaru half-dead at the hands of that monster."

"Don't worry about that. I care about what you care about, and that includes Subaru. We'll stop by to keep my brother on the straight and narrow, all right? But I don't think he'll hurt him in the way you're thinking. He's pretty horrible at showing it, but he really does cherish your brother."

"Hmph." Kamui rolled over, burying his face in the pillow. "It wouldn't bother me."

"Traveling with me?"

"I guess. You might not be as bad as I thought you were."

"Wow. Was that a compliment?" He laughed and pressed his lips against Kamui's forehead. "You know, I'm glad we found one another. We were probably fated to meet from the very beginning, but don't think for a moment that I didn't choose you myself. You were exactly what I was looking for. It would be an honor to live at your side, Kamui. And I hope you won't object to me treasuring you even more in the future even better than I did tonight."

Kamui only relaxed his frown into a brief smile and turned to look out the window. The snow was still falling, and any tracks that Subaru and Seishirou had left in the snow had been covered over. This place would be their home now. It wouldn't be much of a life by Kamui's standards, but he could only hope his brother knew what he was doing in choosing the hunter to stay with him. Whatever happened, it wouldn't be Kamui's choices that would determine the conclusion. At last, he had somewhere else to be, someone else to be with. And he didn't think there was anything else in the world but Seishirou that could make Subaru happier than that.

"I might love you, too," he said quietly, muffling his words with his hands. Fuuma leaned over and pressed a kiss against his back as if he'd heard, even though Kamui hadn't truly wanted him to. Fuuma still had so much left to learn about him, so much more left to expose, and he wished to keep the dearest secret he had left and keep it captive in his heart until even that was unveiled and they knew each other wholly, completely, and could with full certainty say that they had done right in choosing each other, not only in this world but everywhere their souls existed to find one another and fall in love, just like this.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Final Chapter:** Fai and Kurogane


	9. Fai and Kurogane

**A/N: **And now we've reached the conclusion! It's time for the men to come clean and, ahem, 'link those swords' as CLAMP puts it. I've had a wonderful time writing this, and I want to think everyone once again for support in every form. Half the reason I'm actually able to finish the multi-chap fics I start are due to fans such as you who give me a reason not to let everyone down (plus, I just love to write). Hope you all continue to enjoy our final part!

**Spoilers/Timeline: **Spoilers for Nihon, since the timeline _is _Nihon, right at the moment where Tomoyo is asking Kurogane if he has discovered true strength.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Fai and Kurogane.**

There was only a single door separating them now. Fai could hear Tomoyo's voice filtered through talking of true strength and sacrifices, and then Kurogane's lower tone musing on what he'd learned. Fai brushed his fingers against the door, wanting to reach closer, wanting to be nearer to the voice he had thought he'd almost lost. He should have known better. The Kurogane who'd lectured him endlessly on the importance of living and not giving up hope would never cut his life short and burden Fai with being the reason for his death. He was a straightforward and brutally honest man, but he was not cruel. But still, when they'd first landed in Nihon and Kurogane had started bleeding out on the ground, Fai had not been able suppress his feelings of terror and helplessness. _If he dies... if he dies, I'll be... _

He pressed his hands over his heart. It hadn't happened, but the fear he had felt had awakened him to all he had forced Kurogane to go through during their months of traveling together. So many times he had tried to die or kill himself right before Kurogane's eyes, but he had never before wondered or cared how the ninja would feel upon seeing him fade away without the power or hope of bringing him back. He understood now why Kurogane had been so angry during those times, and why the exact same thing seemed to incite the fury of the older Kurogane he'd met in another world. He had always seen death as a release, but to the ones who cared for him, it would only serve as a bitter reminder of a wish that could never be granted, a time they would never get back.

"I'm sorry to make you wait," Tomoyo's voice came from behind the door. "You may come in."

Fai's hands trembled as they slid the door open. Kurogane was sitting on the cushions Tomoyo had prepared to him, the stump of his arm bandaged and his robes hugging his body loosely, revealing the wrappings on his chest. He gazed at Fai with eyes that looked almost prepared for the worst. Fai really couldn't blame him. After his cold treatment in Infinity and trying to kill him in Celes, he probably thought it would take a miracle for them to get close again. Kurogane had been able to forgive him his past, but Fai was usually less relenting towards the things that stood in his way or attempted to pick apart the heart he wanted to keep hidden.

"Oi..." Kurogane said quietly. It was the first time Fai had ever heard him sounding so uncertain. In a way, it made him happy. That Kurogane's near perfect resolve would waver slightly because of him meant he was important enough to shake his core, to make him wary of losing that which he held most precious.

Fai crossed the room and stood at his feet, gazing into his eyes while trying to keep his face expressionless. It was a challenge for him. He wanted instead to find a way into Kurogane's arms, to allow himself to be loved in the way he had always been afraid of, to shatter the now pointless line of distance that existed between them. But things weren't that easy. He had tortured Kurogane for so long that they needed the time to mend and repair. He needed to learn how to be honest and unafraid, and Kurogane would need to wait at his side while he figured out who he really was through all the faking and self-loathing he'd imposed on himself for his entire life.

But for now, there was a simple signal he could use to patch up some of the damage done. With a smile, he raised his fist and brought it crashing down on Kurogane's head. He didn't hold back, just as Kurogane had never held back with him. He wanted to release all of the anger that had festered in him, the anger at himself, the anger at Kurogane for never being able to leave him be, the anger at Ashura-ou and all of the stupid things he had done that had been meant to save Fai's life, but had only made him all the more miserable. It felt so good, but not quite so good at the stunned look on Kurogane's face as he rubbed his forehead, surprised that his favorite form of punishment had been used against him.

"That's payback, _Kuro-sama_," Fai said with a genuine smile. His knuckles were throbbing with pain, and he almost wished his vampire's blood wouldn't sooth the pain away from him. He wanted to remember this moment, to be permanently marked by this first occasion of feeling alive.

"I'll beat the crap out of you, you bastard!" Kurogane shot back.

He was smiling broadly, and Fai's heart stirred at the sight of it. It had been so long since he'd been able to see Kurogane happy. Ever since Tokyo, they'd each dealt separately with their own miseries, Fai and Sakura withdrawing further into their own secrets, and Kurogane and Syaoran facing the backlash with only the comfort of alcohol and the words they used to strengthen each other to soothe their sense of abandonment. The days when they had been happy seemed so far and long ago, but now Fai could remember how it felt before to smile and laugh, to create memories together. And this time, Kurogane's happiness was because of him, and the knowledge of it filled him and left him even happier.

Tomoyo also smiled and quietly left the room before her presence effected the atmosphere between Kurogane and Fai. Fai watched her as she left, feeling grateful to her. Although Kurogane's wounds and Sakura's soulless body had earned the greater share of her concern, she had still extended herself whole-heartedly on Fai's behalf, providing him with clothes to wear and quickly dealing with the amount of blood that had been collected from Kurogane in order to quiet the chaos of his instinct.

"Oi," Kurogane said again, tugging on the long sleeves of Fai's robe. "Why the _hell _are you wearing that?"

"This?" Fai examined the simple design, looking for something that could have possibly offended Kurogane. Usually the ninja was bothered when he showed his stomach, but this particular piece covered most of his skin, much more than Kurogane's own did, in any case. "Tomoyo-hime picked it out. And I thought the moons were a nice touch. Is something wrong with it?"

Kurogane shook his head. "Nevermind. It was her idea. I thought maybe the cross-dressing that guy was talking about it was beginning to manifest."

Fai tilted his head. "Cross-dressing? 'That guy'? And are you trying to say this is something that a girl would wear?" He studied the garment again and shrugged. "But it suits me, right Kuro-sama? So it's not a problem."

"Not really, but I feel like you'll head down a slippery slope after this. For now, as long as you stay away from the soldiers' barracks while you're wearing that it should be fine."

"I think the room Tomoyo-hime gave me is nearby."

"Then stay here." Kurogane gestured to a spot on the floor for him to sit. "You'll cause less trouble if I can keep an eye on you."

"But shouldn't Kuro-sama be sleeping?"

"I've slept enough for awhile. Right now, you have something to say to me, don't you?"

"Perhaps." Fai took a seat beside him and studied the handiwork of his bandages. "But first I want to know how you are feeling."

"Fine enough. Our medicine isn't half bad here, and it does a fair job of taking the pain away."

"It hurt quite a bit, didn't it?"

Kurogane shrugged. "Don't really remember, honestly. There were other things on my mind right then."

"Are you crazy? You slice off a limb, and you don't even remember how it felt?" Fai shook his head. "It looked horrible. You really gave me a scare when you did that."

"Good. You needed to be woken up a little." Kurogane massaged his shoulder, wincing just slightly. "How about you?" he asked. "All that blood. Must have been hard for you."

"I wasn't going to hurt you any more than you already have been. I owe you that much."

"Hmph. Don't be an idiot. You don't owe me anything, and I don't owe you anything either. You are free to do as you please, and I will agree or disagree accordingly."

"But don't you think it would be nice," Fai said quietly, "if what we pleased was the exact same thing?"

Kurogane stared at him, his expression remaining motionless. "I'm listening," he said at length, but there was a tightness to his voice Fai was unused to hearing.

"The thing is, in the world after Tokyo, I met a Kurogane with your soul. I wasn't in a very good place at that time, and I wanted to ignore everything he tried to tell me, but it seems maybe he got to me after all. I was so afraid of abandoning my brother that you ended up being the person abandoned instead, even though what I really wanted was to become closer to you." Fai flushed a little, surprised at himself for admitting to this out loud. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that if it's possible, I would like to stay by your side as we move forward. I may not be any good now, but I'm going to keep trying so I can continue to be a part of your future. I just think that... that maybe I can finally understand what it means to be happy if you're here with me and can somehow find it in your heart to love me. And if not, well, I just wanted to have the courage enough to tell you before we face the dangers to come."

Kurogane didn't say anything for a long time. He extended a hand to hold Fai's face steady so he could examine his expression, but he did not speak and immediately answer Fai's wish with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. Fai wasn't troubled at all by this. He had always strung Kurogane along on his own and made him wait for the things he most wanted to hear, so in a way he deserved this slow torture, this not knowing if the fate he had seen in another time and place could unfold in this world here.

"Are you being serious for once?" Kurogane asked finally. "That's really what you want?"

"Yes. It's been what I wanted for a long time now. I just didn't want to admit it. If I accepted it, I would also have to accept the life I thought I had stolen from my brother. I wasn't strong enough to do that." He looked down at the place where Kurogane's arm would have been. "But maybe you aren't the only one who has had to learn how to be strong."

Kurogane sighed and rapped his knuckles against Fai's forehead. "Damned idiot. And it took you _how _long to figure that one out?"

"I'm sorry I can't be as smart as Kuro-sama."

"Hey. I've done my fair share of stupid things, too, so let's cut it out now. It might not be so bad to want the same thing, after all."

Without another word, he leaned in to kiss Fai square on the lips. Fai closed his eyes, returning the gesture and encouraging him to go further. This was much better than even drinking his blood, though the want it sated was quite similar. This act was more mutual and less distant, and the way Kurogane groaned into his mouth aroused him more than the way the blood he forced upon him traveled down his throat. He wanted more. He wanted to react more and hear Kurogane's own reactions, to connect with him and feel the love he had been so terrified of believing in echoing inside his body so deeply that he wouldn't be able to forget or run away.

Kurogane drew away and pulled Fai against him with his remaining arm. "I want you," he said frankly. "You probably don't even have a clue how long I've wanted you. I'm not going to let you keep away from me for any longer, you understand?"

"I understand. And it's also what I want, but..." He trailed off, pointing to Kurogane's wound. "I can't smell much blood right now, but it won't stay that way if we do this."

"What, are you planning on savaging it while we're at it?"

"No, but something could happen if we're not careful. After what happened in Celes, the last thing I want is for you to suffer even more pain."

"Idiot, the way you're going about it now is what's going to make it worse." Kurogane slid down onto his back, pulling Fai down along with him. "Put your hands on either side of my head," he ordered.

Fai obeyed, his hair falling forward as it slipped out of its tie. He held Kurogane's eyes, wondering if he would be able to resist after all. He had such a beautiful view here, looking down into that slick, sweaty face, the red eyes almost drowning in lust, or maybe even love. There was nothing even akin to pain present in them, only want, only Fai.

"You're not hurting me, are you?" Kurogane asked, nodding to his shoulder. "Do you want to know what it's feeling right now? It's feeling that if it was still there properly, it would be holding onto you and putting those foolish thoughts out of your head. It's longing for the feel of your skin, and wondering what's taking you so damn long. Will you really deny it right now?"

A smile broke on Fai's face. "Not a chance. You caught me, Kuro-sama. I'll do it your way, if you really don't mind having me in control. I might not be any good."

"Ha!" Kurogane's hand reached down to open up Fai's robe, and he lifted his head up to nip Fai's exposed nipple. Fai was surprised at how quickly he reacted. His knees buckled, and his body weight settled on top of Kurogane, a delicious cry coming from deep within his throat. Kurogane drove his knee upward to rub against his throbbing skin, grinning in satisfaction as Fai's desperately sought his lips to muffle the sounds he was making.

"Does it feel good?" Kurogane teased. "Are you really so worried that I'll find something wrong with a body as sweet as yours?"

"It feels good," Fai panted back, settling into Kurogane's lap. He could feel Kurogane's own arousal against him, and he wanted it now, wanted it inside him so they could fully connect, no longer two separate parties struggling against each other, but one heart, one soul joined in mutual understanding and experience.

"Then why don't you continue?"

Fai nodded, pulling off his robe the rest of the way. He knew Kurogane had seen him like this before, but his body felt more erotic under these conditions, as if every single bit of skin spelled out his want and gave him away entirely. The way Kurogane was looking at him wasn't helping at all. His one hand had lifted and started roaming across his bare skin, teasing the sensitive areas. When he sat up a bit to reach his neck with a knowing smile across his face, he brought his lips to a certain area and began to suck on it. Fai felt as if he going crazy. He moaned and arched his back, rubbing their two erections together as he swayed into the caress. He reached down and undid the ties holding Kurogane's garment in place and rubbed his throbbing entrance against his arousal insistently, no longer able to wait. "Help me," he begged.

"So you were telling the truth about that spot after all." Kurogane moved away from his neck and directed his attention to preparing Fai to receive him. "You know, I have something to tell you, too. Will you listen?"

"Yes... just hurry, please."

"When the witch asked if we wanted to continue to travel together after Tokyo, I said something about how I was going to return to Nihon no matter what, but I now had another promise to keep along with the first one I made."

"Yes. I assumed it had something to do with how my life depends on yours now."

"It does, but it isn't just that. When a soldier swears himself before Tomoyo-hime, he or she offers everything solely to her with no exception. I had no problem making that vow before. Tomoyo-hime helped me through one of the worst times in my life, and her faith and trust spared me from being controlled by that ass messing with our fates. But there's something I have that I can only give to you, and that's the most important thing that has changed." He slid his fingers from Fai and the very moment he thrust into him, he looked into Fai's widened eye and said calmly and clearly, "The only person my soul wants is you."

Fai felt his control over himself slipping and release racking his body much too soon. He could feel Kurogane's eyes upon him watching in delight, which only made him slip even further into the madness. "That... wasn't... fair... at all," he choked out when he finally caught his bearings.

Kurogane simply laughed and stroked his damp skin back to attention. "Oi, now make me feel as good as you just felt. Stop getting carried away."

Fai couldn't help but laugh along with him and he began to roll his hips for Kurogane, obeying his command. It was such an odd thing, this love they shared. They were two entirely different people who had held opposing philosophies for so long, and Fai had done his absolute utmost to make himself the kind of person Kurogane would never be able to tolerate, much less love. But he had failed somehow. Kurogane had managed to see the true him through everything he did to make himself hated, and Fai had managed to fall in love with the very person he had set his heart against from the beginning. Fate had played its hand after all, but it was a hidden road rather than the one Fai had assumed stretched out in front of him clearly. The things he had believed he needed to do to be happy had never even been possible or what he truly wanted. This was what was real: the firm body beneath him that was now a part of his, the face that watched him with intense heat as pleasure invaded them both, the arm that eased his movements and held him steady as the act reached its fever pitch. The love he felt in his heart, so deep and urgent that it seemed impossible now that he had been able to repress it for so long.

"Kuro-sama," Fai cried, feeling his insides tightening and release welling up within him. "Always, towards you I—"

Kurogane shook his head, unable to speak for a moment as Fai pressed down on him. "I've known that for longer than you have. I was watching from the very beginning, even when you tried to hide every true piece of yourself from us. This is the path you wished for, the one you wanted."

"But this will be the first time I'll be able to say it." He reached for Kurogane's hand and placed it against the flushed skin of his cheek. "So please, let me."

"I wouldn't be able to shut you up if I tried."

Fai could feel Kurogane throbbing inside of him, his control getting away from him but holding on just long enough for the moment they were both waiting for to come, the moment when what they were doing would be changed from an act of passion to a link that would bind them for more than just one night together. As their eyes met, he could feel the air in the room begin to change, he could hear every note of their breathing, every contact point where their skin touched and melded together.

"I love you," he gasped out as Kurogane came inside him, filling him more than he had thought was possible. "The only person my soul wants is _Kuro-sama._"

He started to collapse onto Kurogane's stomach, but caught himself before drawing too near to his shoulder. He inhaled its scent, which was still too faint to be bothersome. He hadn't ended up hurting him after all, and he was so relieved that it had been was good for Kurogane rather than harmful that a few tears began to collect in his eyes. He had finally done something right, something that hadn't brought pain to someone he cared about.

"Oi, don't look like that," Kurogane said, stroking his cheek. "I would have done better if I was in top shape."

"No," Fai said, laughing and shaking his head. "It's not that. You were wonderful. It's just that... I don't know how to explain it. I've just been realizing how incredibly selfish I am."

Kurogane lifted an eyebrow. "That's not such a horrible thing, as long as your head doesn't swell up bigger than it is."

"But it is a bad thing. The Kurorin I met in the other world had stayed by my side properly my whole life, even though I most likely didn't deserve it at all. The me by his side passed away, and I told him... I said that it was better for him that I was gone. Because all I know how to do is cause Kurorin trouble."

"You cause plenty of trouble, but really, don't you know anything?" He aimed a punch at Fai's shoulder. "If the precious thing I want to protect is taken away from me, how do you expect me to be better off than I was before?"

Fai shook his head. "I understand it now. When I thought Kuro-sama might be dead, I really believed I would end my life without ever being happy. But I wish I could say I was sorry. He got to see the face of the person he cared about the most, and all I could do was be cruel."

"Oi, how many times do I have to call you an idiot before you actually bother using that brain of yours? _You _aren't that person he loved, the person he most likely wanted to see. I met you, too, in another world, but I was under no illusions that the person that made that guy so happy was actually me. Even if the souls are the same, the product of its experiences are different. The you who is cruel and stupid and can't understand anything belongs to me. And I don't need you to apologize for anything. Let the person you met have the memories he was left with, and worry only about the memories you will give to me." He smiled, running his fingers through Fai's hair. "Let me be the one who is selfish now."

"And it really is okay for things to be like this?" Fai rested his head against Kurogane's chest and exhaled slowly. "That you ended up with such a pitiful version of me makes me worry that I'm not good enough for Kuro-sama. Did the me you met seem like a better person?"

"He seemed like a pretty big flake to me. He enjoyed making me do stupid things and acting like an idiot in public. I was happy there, but _I _feel better being here. The life we're going to have will be different."

"And what does Kuro-sama have in mind?"

"First, we have to take care of setting things right with the two kids and the princess. If that involves traveling to more worlds, then that's what will happen. There may not be any time for us to do much of anything, but if there is, I'm taking you whenever I can as long as we can keep the kid out of it. And when all of that is over and that ass-chin freak from your memories is sent to hell by my blade, we'll come back here as soon as it's possible for us to. I'll continue to serve Tomoyo-hime, and you can do whatever pleases you in the castle, as long as you don't get yourself killed and are able to return to my side at night. I'm sure someone can teach you the language, too, someone who can spare more attention than we had in Yama."

"But Kurorin punched everyone who tried to teach me in Yama."

"That was because they wanted to seduce you while they were at it, idiot. This time I'll find someone hideous to take care of you. Or maybe a eunuch."

"Not even a pretty girl for me, Kuro-sama?"

"You'd flirt. Do you think I enjoy it when you do that?" He rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I have no obligation to take a wife or anything like that here. Which is fine. There's no need for me to raise another little brat. I've had enough of that with the kid and Tomoyo-hime to last me a lifetime."

"So I get to be Kurorin's bride, then?"

"Bride? Where I come from, it doesn't matter so much what the term you use for it is. When two people are bound by fate and their hearts cannot be happy without the other, that is joining enough. As is this." He trailed a finger against Fai's upper leg where his cum had seeped out, and extended it for Fai to taste. "I've never had time for something like this before, but I'll have no trouble making everyone else figure out that you belong to me and me only."

"So I'll be monopolized? If it's Kuro-sama, I think living like that would make me happy."

"And that's what I have been wishing for," Kurogane said simply. He pressed a kiss against Fai's forehead. "Seems like we made it to Point B."

_Point B, _Fai thought with a smile. _The way out. The path that was always meant to be taken_. He doubted it would be perfect as Kurogane envisioned it. Fei Wang Reed was too twisted to allow an easy exit, even if he was defeated, and having relocated to an entirely different world as a child, Fai knew that it wasn't exactly simple to transition fluidly, especially without the help of Mokona. All the same, he was excited at the thought of going through each of these things at Kurogane's side. He wanted to learn all the things they would and would not be able to do, and which experiences they would add to the story their souls. He wanted to take his happiness for the first time without regretting it, and have Kurogane be the reason behind that happiness.

"I'm glad," Fai said, yawning into Kurogane's shoulder. "So very glad."

"Hmm?"

"That when my soul was made, yours was made to go with it."

Kurogane smiled and ran his fingers through Fai's hair as he drifted off to sleep. "Yeah. Me too."

0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Thank you, all!**


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